Yuzu x Mei University
by Jamandbutter
Summary: The story is based when both Yuzu and Mei are in university, briefly follows them in their university experiences but mainly focuses on their relationship. Contains fluff and smut. hope you enjoy. Citrus fanfic, Yuzu x Mei.
1. Dominant Yuzu

Yuzu forcefully pushed Mei against the back of the door, her lips not wasting any time as they smashed against her lover. Her hands running up her outer thighs and hips coming to a stop on the small of her back, as she continued to push herself closer into the darker haired girl. Their heated, messy kiss not stopping for a moment. She could hear Mei trying to stifle light moans though their kiss as she hastily returned it.

Mei now tightly pressed between the door and Yuzu who continued to let her hands wander, as she began to play with the bottom of Mei's shirt. Mei let a loud groan as Yuzu grabbed her firmly by the ass, lifting her to straddle her waist to which she responded eagerly, wrapping her legs tightly around the assertive blonde, her baby blue button up was pried over her head, briefly breaking the fierce kiss.

Yuzu gasped at the sight of her lover's prominent breasts, she couldn't help it, she felt butterflies every time she laid her eyes upon her. Moments passed, with Mei still pinned against the door, she regained her breath from the fierce kiss, thankful for her girlfriend's slight delay.

Yuzu's distraction lasted mere seconds before she roughly fondled the glowing mounds in front of her. She wanted more. Giving Mei some leeway, yuzu released the tight grasp on raven-haired girl just enough to slip her arm behind her, unclasping the only thing keeping her from devouring her lover's breasts.

As soon as the bra was thrown to the floor with the long-forgotten shirt, Mei was slammed back against the door, Yuzu wasting no time as she took the protruding nipple in her mouth, moaning at the sensation it brought her. She could feel Mei's back arch into her as she continued to flick, suck and bite against the pink flesh. She did not ease as she came up for air, as she rolled her hips into the girl's ass, who was currently grinding hard against her torso. Massaging both mounds, she aggressively rolled the nubs between her thumbs and forefingers, loving the way her partner was salvaging the feeling. She continued to pinch and squeeze the points, as she bit down on the soft flesh of Mei's exposed neck and shoulder, the moans Mei made encouraging her not to stop.

Mei felt ecstatic, the Yuzu who was normally quite chipper and bubbly was gone, now she was lustful and dominant, and Mei loved it. She quite frequently took the lead in moments like these, so when the blond took control, Mei was overwhelmed with excitement. She continued to grind her now soaked pelvis against the still fully clothed blond, trying to make as much friction as possible. When her partner released her breast, she couldn't help but gasp as the cold air stung against the saliva covered nipple, sending a chill down her spine. Taking the blonde's face in her hands she looked deep into her eyes, they were full of lust, desire, and love. She was captivated by the emerald orbs. Lips locked again, this time Mei sucked on Yuzu's tongue, nibbled at her lip, as her breasts were continued to be pleasured by the blonde.

"Y-Yuzu" Mei managed to spill out between her gasps, stuttering at the overwhelming pleasure she was reeling in at that moment.

"No-not... H-here" It came out as almost a whisper, Mei thought the older girl hadn't heard her as she was pushed back firmer against the door, Mei was positive that even if she unwrapped her legs from around the blonde's waist, she would still be pinned in place as Yuzu pushed against her so hard. Yuzu continued her advances now sucking on her neck, which she gladly tilted to the side: giving her better access. She squeaked as she felt Yuzu's hands once again clasp the soft skin of her ass before the pressure was gone and she felt light.

The attack on her neck was released moments later, as she heard the raspy breath of the blonde.

"I know, don't worry we're going" Yuzu almost growled into Mei's ear before licking the sensitive skin, she felt the legs around her tighten as she continued. Using memory alone to guide them through the newly decorated apartment, she never once ceasing contact with her lover.

Yuzu practically threw Mei down onto the mattress, as she waited for Mei to shuffle back, she watched her girlfriend with an alluring gaze, Mei knew her eyes were full of just as much hunger and desire as Yuzu's were.

"Hurry up" Mei almost commanded to the still staring blonde, who snapped out of her daze at the words, immediately stripping out of all her clothes before pouncing over Mei, capturing her soft lips again. This time, however, it was much gentler but firm enough to make Mei gasp at the sudden action.

"As you wish," Yuzu said with a grin, as she left her girlfriend's lips, moving lower, she skilfully unclasping the skinny jeans and dragging them down alongside the drenched panties, revealing the soft pale skin of Mei's long slender legs. Leaving no time for complaining, she dove into the groin of the younger woman, licking all her juices. She had had enough foreplay, she wanted Mei. Yuzu heard Mei gasp at her bold movements but continued without hesitation.

Mei felt as though she couldn't get enough as she ground into her lovers' face, meeting her every time as she felt the warm tongue enter her at a rapid pace. The burning sensation between her legs continued to grow, she soon felt the knot in her stomach become more intense.

"Y-YU-ZU" Mei almost bucked her hips off the bed as she felt her climax grow. Yuzu smiled as she watched the expressions on Meis' face, she could feel her clamping down on her tongue every time she thrust it inside her. She knew she was close, very close. She doubled her efforts and thrust her tongue deep inside, her speed growing every second, as she began to thumb her lover's clit. Yuzu couldn't help but help feel joy as she heard her lover scream out her name as her body convulsed beneath her. She continued her actions as she let Mei ride out her orgasm, licking up all of her lovers' juices before she returned to her side.

She could see Mei's chest heave up and down, her bangs stuck to her forehead as she attempted to regain her composure. Yuzu captured her lips one last time before parting and laying down contently beside her lover.

The lust she had felt, now just pure happiness. Only I can make Mei feel this way. She thought to herself. She felt Mei move beside her and turned on her side to face Mei, her eyes never once wavered as she looked into the amethyst eyes, smiling happily as she began to run her fingers through the dark slick locks.

"Your amazing Mei" she pulled the woman closer until their foreheads met, and began to hum a light tune.

"I think I should be the one saying that" she chuckled as she cupped the blonds face in her hands, knowing she was content with just being held tonight.

"I don't know where you get your confidence from but honestly, it would be great if you had it more often because that was just...Just...Incredible." Mei finished, smiling at Yuzus sudden shocked expression. However, she quickly recovered as she brought her in for a final kiss, before embracing her tightly, Mei's head resting in the crook of her neck.

"Maybe I will," she said seductively into Meis' ear, a small laugh emitted from Mei until the room was plunged into a comfortable silence. The only sound was their soft breathing.

After several moments of silence, Yuzu whispered as she continued to stroke the black strands

"I really am sorry about tonight Mei, you know you are the only one that I want," Yuzu said sweetly into Mei's ear. She got a small nod from the younger girl before she heard her breathing soften. Yuzu smiled as she caressed Mei in her arms, before drifting off to sleep herself.


	2. A Fun Party and A Jelouse Mei

**_Set whilst Mei and Yuzu have just started University, this is a continuation of chapter one, however, contains more Yuzu x Mei fluff than smut. Hope you guys like it, let me know what you think. Thanks for reading :)._**

* * *

Mei sat in class tapping her pencil repeatedly, she'd sat in a daze for most of the day only taking in bits and pieces of the lectures. When the bell rang and dismissed her final class, she felt relief wash over her, she packed up her bag and made her way to the exit.

Last night was amazing for Mei. Yuzu had made her feelings very clear towards her, reassuring her that nothing was happening, but she couldn't help but feel the same sting of jealousy she had felt the previous night as she watched the brunet on the opposite side of the lecture hall.

Mei had been in the same lectures as the brunet for almost all of her classes today, she wanted to look away but she couldn't help observing the other woman. She was slightly taller than Mei, her eyes a deep blue, her body looked well-toned from what Mei could see, her skin was peachy, clear and radiant. Mei couldn't deny that she was beautiful, there was also no denying to Mei that she could have gotten anyone she wanted, male or female, however, it wasn't looks alone.

Mei had tried her best to look the other way throughout her classes but every time she heard her laugh or speak, she would be snapped back into her trance. Her voice was captivating, Mei hadn't even noticed the girl was in her class until this morning, now whenever the girl spoke she had Meis full attention. Mei felt absolutely no affection towards the girl, in fact, she would even go as far to say that the sight of her angered her, every time she opened her mouth Mei felt like she was speaking down to everyone. Almost confirming her authority, like she knew she could have anyone.

Mei loved Yuzu with all her heart, given she wasn't always the best at communicating it but she tried, and Yuzu knew that she loved her unconditionally. Mei knew that Yuzu loved her, she showed her affection every day; quick kisses as she passed her in the house, random embraces just because she wanted to feel Meis warmth. Yuzu was a kind and gentle person -most of the time- but Mei could admit that her girlfriend was slightly oblivious in certain situations, her inability to tell people 'no' sometimes got her in trouble. Last night had been one of those times. She knew Yuzu had meant no harm but Mei was still angered by her and the brunet's actions.

 ** _Flashback: Last Night_**

"C'mon Mei, you had fun last time we went to one, didn't you? This one is just going to be slightly bigger" Yuzu pleaded as she wrapped her slender arms around Mei, who was sitting on the couch in the lounge studying from one of her many textbooks when the blonde had come up to her and asked if they could attend a party tonight.

Although Yuzu was right, lately the past several parties they had gone to Mei had slowly found herself enjoying the environment, but that was not to say she wouldn't rather curl up with a book than go to one.

Mei and Yuzu were both several months into their University courses. Mei had taken a business course in preparations for taking over the Aihara Academy, while Yuzu had made the rash decision during her final years of high school that she wanted to go to medical school.

She worked gruellingly hard to get the required grades, but she got in, and so far, she was thoroughly enjoying the course. However, her desire to be next to Mei inticed Yuzu into taking a pre-med course at the university. An honour in Science that would allow Yuzu to go to the same school as Mei while also getting another qualification. Their courses would overlap for four years until Yuzu's course finished and she shipped off to medical school, while Mei's six-year course would keep her at their current home, but Yuzu was sure they would cross that bridge when they came to it.

Luckily, they had both gotten into the same University and we're currently renting a small apartment not too far from the school grounds. It wasn't a big apartment, a single bedroom with a small study, a lounge, and a kitchen/dining room. It wasn't lavish but it didn't bother either of them, it was cosy and was currently the place they called home.

Mei was never the one to suggest going to these parties but she knew that Yuzu liked to attend them, as it gave her a way to socialize and meet new people. She always asked Mei if she minded her going and would always ask if she wanted to come along. More times than not Mei would indulge in her girlfriends' habit and go with her to these parties. Her argument when they first started going was that they needed 'the real University experience', and for Yuzu that meant going to parties with friends, drinking and having fun.

So far in University Mei, nor Yuzu to her knowledge, had been to an open house party. She had seen them many times coming home late from study sessions, they weren't as rowdy as she had thought they'd be, but she didn't like the energy she could feel from them. She definitely couldn't see herself willingly putting herself in that environment. The parties they had gone to so far were usually no more than fifty people as they were invite-only. Mei felt comfortable at these as she felt they were more like friendly gatherings rather than a party, the music was never overbearing, and she knew most of the people there.

Yet as Yuzu leaned over the couch wrapping herself around the raven's neck with a pleading look on her face, Meis resolve to not go, was quickly crumbling.

Mei had always found it adorable how Yuzu would always ask her before doing anything, even something as simple as staying late to study in the library, she would always consult with Mei first. And if Mei said 'no' Yuzu usually didn't fight her. And tonight, was no different as she came home from her classes an started the prep for dinner, once Mei was in and settled down, the blonde approached her to ask her the same question she had asked many times over the past few months.

"Fine. But if I don't like it, I'm leaving. You don't have to, and I'll just see you when you get home." Mei said as she focused back on her book. She could feel the blonde smile into her neck before she started to speak.

"If you want to leave when we get there we can, and we'll come straight back home. Both of us, okay?" Yuzu said as she kissed the back of Mei's neck.

"O-okay" Mei breathed out, as Yuzu gave her a quick peck on the cheek before skipping back through to the kitchen. Mei gave out a small sigh, she never had any resolve when it came to the blond. Mei thought as she turned to see Yuzu smiling happily to herself behind the countertop.

Yuzu always tried to look her best when going out, even more so when she was going to a party, tonight was no different. They'd had dinner and showered, Mei was now waiting at the door for Yuzu who was once again taking slightly too long to get ready.

Mei, although she didn't put on a full face or wear an extravagant outfit, she had still made a bit of an effort. Wearing ripped black skinny jeans, small heels and a blue button up that exposed her shoulders. Her makeup was casual with just foundation and eyeshadow and her hair left down.

"Hurry up Yuzu! You were the one that wanted to go, I shouldn't have to wait hours for you to get ready." Mei shouted from the front door, she was fairly acquainted with this routine, the blonde always took longer than she anticipated to get ready.

"I'm coming, stop complaining you'll thank me for putting all this time in when you see me" Yuzu shouted back before Mei heard heels walking down the hall towards the door. Mei was already waiting outside with her keys waiting to lock the door when she almost dropped them at the sight of the blonde.

Yuzu was standing tall in a black pair of stilettoes, that matched the black sleeveless, halter cut romper she was wearing. It clung to her in all the right places, showing off all her curves. Open down the centre showing off more than enough cleavage and short on the bottom, where the fabric didn't fail to show the firm taught muscle of her ass before the shorts that were slightly looser stopped just shy of her cheeks. She had done an immaculate job on her makeup once again, she had smokey eyeshadow that brought out her green eyes and a light lip gloss, that made her already dainty lips look even more delicate.

Her long golden locks lay elegantly over her back as she came to a stop meters before Mei. Turning to the side and slightly putting one leg back as she leaned forward just a little showing off all her greatest attributes, she turned her head to Mei and spoke in a sultry voice.

"What do you think? Worth the extra time?" She looked at Mei alluringly, as she smiled at her girlfriends astonished expression, as she tried to come up with an answer.

Mei looked at her in shock, amazement, astonishment. She took in the sight of her lover standing in front of her, her romper showing off her long legs which were emphasized by the heels. Mei looked her up and down her eyes settling on Yuzu's torso, the halter cut coming down below her breast to show the top of her mild abs. The only fabric covering her exposed centre; a single zig-zag pattern that laced from side to side. Mei could have been drooling over Yuzu right now.

She was hot, sexy even and Mei felt her arousal grow just by looking at the blond. Without thinking she spoke what was running through her mind at that moment.

"Yuzu...You look beautiful... No... you look sexy, hot, ravishing. Take all the time in the world if you look this good at the end of it" Yuzu grinned at her response, it was exactly what she was going for, she wanted to catch Mei off guard. She walked up to Mei, cupping her face in her hand and giving her a slow passionate kiss, her tongue slipped into Meis' mouth without any resistance. As their tongues briefly danced around each other's before Yuzu broke the kiss, much to Meis disappointment. She pulled away and looked her in the eyes.

"Thanks, I'll remember that. You look great too by the way." Yuzu said as she lent down and gave Mei another quick brief kiss, dragging her hand over Mei's waist, it was only then that Mei realized that Yuzu was actually taller than her at the moment. She didn't mind it, she actually quite enjoyed it. Coming to some realization, Mei abruptly pulled back from her girlfriend, causing her to look at her with confusion.

"You can't go out like that Yuzu, you are showing too much skin! I don't want everyone ogling you all night...Your mine." Mei said in almost a pouting manner it made Yuzu smile.

"Don't worry Mei, I'm all yours I always will be. I only dress to impress one pair of eyes," Yuzu took hold of Meis' hand, caressing her cheek with her other one giving her a long, sweet reassuring kiss before she locked the door, and began to lead them down the hall.

Mei held Yuzu hand tighter as they came closer to the party, they could see the line of people in the yard waiting to get inside, Mei could see people practically spewing out of the house, the street around them and the garden was littered with University students, some already drunk some looked to be at least somewhat coherent.

"That line is huge Yuzu, we will be here all night before we even get let into the party," Mei complained as she tugged slightly on Yuzu's arm in a childlike manner.

"Don't worry, I can get us in, I got told how to bypass the line when I got asked to come." Yuzu flashed her a signature wide grin before confidently walking past the line of people, who's stares at her girlfriend didn't go unnoticed to Mei. Trying to ignore them she followed close to Yuzu unsure of just what she was going to do to skip the line.

"Hey there, what's the name?" Standing at the door was a young man who looked to be in his early twenties, smiled as he eyed Yuzu up and down, doing the same to Mei moments later.

"Hey to you too. Yuzu and Mei should be right there under 'Hot girls'" Yuzu smiled and pointed towards his clipboard. Mei was shocked, why would she say that she knew fine well that they weren't on that list so why did she lie?

"Oh yeah, right here. Go on in, have fun" he winked when he gladly stepped aside letting her and Yuzu past. Yuzu pulled a dumfounded Mei behind her as she entered the house.

"See I told you, nothing to worry about," Yuzu laughed and she held onto Meis' hand and manoeuvred her way into what looked like the living room.

Once Mei had entered, her clasp on Yuzus hand immediately tightened, almost every time she moved, she would bump into someone, the music quite loud but the volume of incoherent chatter was louder, the air felt hot and the smell of alcohol burned into her clothes, the only thing keeping her from running out was the blond that continued to pull her inside.

Yuzu had pulled Mei over to a corner which was slightly less crowded and placed her hands on Mei's hips.

"What do you think? Not too bad right?" Yuzu asked as she pulled Mei closer and looked at her, once again asking if Mei was alright or if she wanted to go. And as much as Mei would have loved to leave, she saw the tinge of hope in her girlfriend's eyes, which Mei just couldn't say no to. She shook her head and replied with a soft smile.

"No, I'm fine, how about some drinks, but nothing too strong okay?" Yuzu gladly complied telling Mei to stay there for two seconds before she slipped away into the mass of people. The room was roasting, Mei hadn't even started dancing and she could feel herself getting flush cheeks. She waited for what felt like ten minutes before Yuzu returned with two red plastic cups.

"Hey sorry I took so long, had to find the bar and then I started chatting to some people," she handed one of the cups to Mei with an apologetic smile. Mei took the cup and shook her head, implying that she was fine. Yuzu had her arms resting on Meis' shoulders and was gesturing for Mei to start dancing, she quickly drank the rest of the liquid from her cup, and placed it on the cabinet beside her, and draped her hands onto Yuzu's hips.

With their bodies flush against each other, Yuzu began to sway their bodies in time to the music that was being blasted from what felt like every corner of the house. Meis movements were stiff and controlled at first, but she slowly felt herself getting lost in Yuzu's grip, and was becoming more relaxed.

Yuzu recognized this and slowly turned Mei so she was facing away from her, Yuzu's chest brushing against Meis back. Mei didn't know when Yuzu had put her drink down or if she had finished it, but she now had two hands firmly placed on her sides and felt her brush her hip bones with her thumbs, her head rested behind Mei's, her hot breath against the back of her neck and ears sent chills down Meis body. Mei could feel Yuzu swaying her pelvis against her, almost grinding, Mei quickly complied and she rested her hands on Yuzus, pushing her ass back into Yuzu suggestively.

"Having fun?" Yuzu asked as she moaned into Meis' ear, trailing butterfly kisses down her neck and exposed shoulders. Before Mei could stop herself, as she wouldn't normally show large signs of affection in public, she pivoted and now had Yuzu flush against her breasts once again. Mei had her arms snaked around the taller woman's neck as she locked lips with her immediately.

Desperate for more she ran her tongue over the blonde's teeth which gladly parted allowing Mei to dart her tongue into the blonde's mouth, craving her touch more. Their tongues briefly fought for dominance which Mei quickly one as she craved to reach deeper inside the blonde. Mei's hands making their way through the now tangled locks of blonde before she reluctantly pulled away for air.

Mei wiped the trail of saliva off Yuzu's lips and smiled at her as their hips still ground together with the music.

"I'll take that as a yes then?" Yuzu chuckled as she took Mei's hips back in her hands. "Do you want to come and meet some people, I met some new faces earlier but I know a few from classes?" Yuzu asked, Mei knew that she was trying to get Mei to become more confident in social environments, this was her way of getting Mei to make friends.

"Sure" she leaned up and captured her soft, plump lips once more before smiling contently at the stunning blonde.

Several drinks, and a few hours later Mei was having casual conversations with a few people who she had met that night, she hadn't seen the blonde in a while, last time she had seen her she said she was going to dance. Mei had stayed behind and continued her conversation and what felt like the 5th or 6th drink she'd had. It had been around fifteen minutes and Mei was starting to get concerned, she politely excused herself from her current group and made her way towards the makeshift dance floor.

What she saw when she finally found the blonde angered Mei, she wasn't sure if it was the alcohol, but the surges of jealousy that were running through Mei right now were the only thing she could feel.

Yuzu was standing towards the back of the room and was overly close in proximity to another woman, who was about the same height as Yuzu was right now and was wearing a tight fitting red dress.

The woman's hands were placed on Yuzu's hips and Yuzu was swaying along with her. Mei watched from the other side of the room as Yuzu continued to laugh and smile in her conversation. Mei knew that Yuzu probably hadn't instigated the contact, and it probably meant quite little to the blonde as she often showed signs of physical affection to other people. That was just her personality.

However right now all Mei could see was the brunet running her hand up Yuzus side in a seductive manner, anyone who didn't know Yuzu was dating Mei would have taken the two to be a couple.

Mei felt her pulse quicken and her chest felt tight. She put her drink down and tried to walk as calmly as possible over to her girlfriend, when she reached them she spoke quietly in attempts to hide the anger that she was probably in her voice

"Hey Yuzu, what's taking you so long?" Mei said as she made distinct eye contact with the girl next to Yuzu who had yet to release her grasp from the blonde's waste. Yuzus head shot round at the sound of Meis' voice, a big grin on her face, as she turned to face her.

"Hey Mei, this is Jasmin, she's friends with one of the girls in my class, she is actually the one who invited us here tonight. Jasmin this is Mei," Yuzu said proudly as she made a gesture between the two girls.

"Nice to meet you, Mei," Jasmin said as she bowed lightly, however she didn't remove her hand from Yuzus side, she actually tightened her grip. Mei grit her teeth as she watched the girl's hand slowly slip past the small of Yuzus back.

"Please the pleasure is all mine, it's nice to meet one of Yuzu's _friends_ ," Mei said back trying to put special emphasis on the word friend, hoping to give this girl a hint, as clearly Yuzu hadn't told her who Mei was. Mei knew she had a tinge of coldness in her tone but she didn't care, all she wanted was for this random to get her hands off her girlfriend.

"Yuzu I was going to head home now if you don't mind," it was getting late, and Mei now wanting to leave the brunette behind as fast as possible. Mei was shocked when Yuzu placed her arm around the brunette's shoulder and spoke in a pleading voice.

"Aww please, can we stay a little longer? I only just managed to find Jasmin like twenty minutes ago. I'm sure you would like her if you stayed and got to know her," she smiled brightly once again, but this only acted as fuel to Mei's fire. She watched as Jasmin still had her hand on Yuzu's backside, looking to have no intention of moving it, nor did Yuzu.

Jasmin moved closer to Yuzu and smiled smugly at Mei, maybe she did know who Mei was, Mei thought as she watched the woman practically fondle Yuzu.

Mei'd had enough, she walked forwards and pried Jasmin's hand off of Yuzu.

"Do you mind taking your hand off my girlfriend's ass, before you try and make my acquaintance." She said coldly before she turned to Yuzu and spoke again, however this time in a minutely softer voice, now that the unwanted hand had been removed from her beloved.

"Yuzu I want to leave now, are you coming with me or not?" Yuzu was shocked at her words but quickly realized why she was mad. She turned quickly to Jasmin bowing slightly.

"Sorry I'm going to head home now, it was nice seeing you, and thanks for the invitation, the party's been great." Yuzu put on her bright smile and followed Mei who had already walked away.

Yuzu walked as fast as she could in her heels, as she tried to catch up to Mei who was briskly walking up the street back to their apartment.

"Mei! Will, you stop for a second" Yuzu shouted after her and although Mei didn't stop completely, she slowed down her pace enough so the blonde could catch up.

Once Yuzu had finally caught up, she pulled Mei by the arm, forcing Mei to face her.

"What Yuzu!? I'm not in the mood for you to be making up excuses, you asked me to come with you! Things were going great, then I find you letting another girl grab your ass! You didn't even try and stop her!" Yuzu could see the hurt and anger in Mei's eyes, Mei waited for a reply, as she roughly pulled out of the blonde's grasp.

Yuzu grabbed Meis cheeks in her hand, looking deep into the purple eyes that stared back expectantly.

"I didn't mean for anything like that to happen, we were just dancing as she got a little too close, but I mean we are just friends and it was just a girl so it's fine. I don't have any feelings for her, just like I told you earlier, I only care about you Mei." Yuzu brought her forehead forwards and placed it against Meis before continuing, seeing that Mei's eyes were still wavering.

"Look I know I was out of line tonight, I didn't think it would make you this uncomfortable. I promise it won't happen again... Mei, please" Yuzu trailed off as she saw Mei look away and start walking again, however, relaxed a little when Mei took hold of her hand. The walk back was complete silence, Yuzu knew Mei was still mad, and her anger was starting to rub off on Yuzu, who was becoming impatient at her girlfriend's lack of communication.

Once they reached the apartment door Mei let go of Yuzu's hand to get out her key, still not speaking a word to the blonde.

"For god's sake Mei, will you at least acknowledge that I tried to apologize?!" Yuzu's raised voice caught the attention of the younger girl as she momentarily stopped in her task of opening the door.

"I know you didn't mean for anything to happen with her, but sometimes I wish you would be less...oblivious towards certain...actions," Mei said turning to Yuzu, still ceasing to make any eye contact with her. Without a moment's hesitation, Yuzu pulled Mei into a soft kiss, no tongue just a small kiss, yet it conveyed wonders to Mei, who lifted her gaze to meet Yuzu's.

"I'm sorry Mei, I'll try from now on okay, let me make up to you?" She reached down again, grasping Meis lips with more force this time, Mei stumbled back into the door and she leaned into the kiss in attempts to deepen it.

"Mph... Inside...Yuzu...N- neighbours" Mei managed to squeeze out between kisses. Yuzu quickly pulled back remembering they were still in the lobby of their apartment building.

As soon as Mei had the door opened and had taken her first step inside, Yuzu wasted no time in pushing her against it.

 ** _End of flashback_**

Mei smiled at the memory of last night, she really had overreacted and she still was. She gave the brunet one last glance before swiftly making her way out of the hall, why was this getting to her, she knew Yuzu, nothing serious would have ever happened had she not intervened. Yet the entire day her attention had been on the actions of the brunette, not on her studies.

Deciding it better not to brew on her current thoughts, she would go home, make dinner for Yuzu maybe make it romantic, set up the lounge for a movie night, as ways of apology for her actions the prior night. Mei knew although she was not fully to blame, she still was guilty of shouting at Yuzu without giving her time to explain.

And although the blonde had acted fine this morning she still wanted to apologize. Yuzu's final class didn't finish for several hours before headed back to the apartment Mei stopped off at the grocery store to pick up the required items for Yuzu's favourite dishes. Then started her preparations for the evening.


	3. Mei's Apology

Yuzu walked in through the door just past 6, like she had told Mei she would earlier. She was greeted with the delicious smell of several of her favourite foods, she could distinguish them before she had even managed to take her shoes off.

"I'm home babe!" Yuzu shouted into the apartment, only to be met with a brief response from her partner.

"Welcome home." Yuzu could still hear the cluttering of utensils and smiled to herself as she walked through the hallway into their open kitchen and dining room, revealing Mei standing with her back to her, facing the stove. Yuzu smiled as she continued her rout into the house, she stood behind Mei and wrapped her arms around her waist, being careful not to knock her arms. Yuzu gave her a quick tight squeeze before letting herself rest against the black-haired girl. Giving her a quick kiss on the back of her shoulder.

"What's all this for, I didn't forget anything important, did I?" Yuzu knew she hadn't forgotten anything, any anniversary or birthday Yuzu always made plans for the two of them, but she was curious as to why Mei had made such a big effort tonight.

"Just because" was the only answer Mei gave before she lifted her head in the direction of Yuzu.

"You should go and take a shower and get changed into something more comfortable, dinner will be ready in about 15 minutes." Mei smiled at Yuzu as she sighed at the thought of not being able to just sit down. Mei was left with a kiss before the blonde retreated away and into the hall, moments later Mei heard the sound of running water.

Mei was just finishing setting the table when Yuzu came back trough wearing a pink tank top and 3/4 black cottons, she smiled happily at the room. The small wooden table now had a white cloth laid over it, the top covered in the arrangements of food she had smelt earlier. The lights had been turned down, the brightest source of light was from the candles that Mei had lit and placed along the shelves, giving off a sweet aroma. The final touch was a single rose that Mei held in her hand as she waited by the table for Yuzu.

Yuzu giggled at the sight, Mei had never been very good at romance, and yet there she was, standing with a rose in a candlelit room having prepared all her favourite dishes. Yuzu was starting to think maybe she had forgotten something, she wracked her brain as fast as possible trying to see if anything came to mind. Nothing did.

"Don't worry Yuzu, you didn't forget anything. I just thought it would be nice to make a romantic dinner for the woman I love." Mei gave her a genuine smile as she gestured for Yuzu to come closer and pulled out her seat. When Yuzu was comfortable Mei graciously bent down and gave Yuzu the rose, to which Mei received a light chuckle and a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks, Mei it's beautiful. But you know you really didn't have to do all this, I would have been happy if you had just ordered take out." Yuzu didn't mean to sound ungrateful but she was being honest, she didn't need Mei to go to such efforts at her dispense, as much as she may have enjoyed it.

"Why would I do that? You deserve the best and although I can't guarantee it will taste as good as yours, I wanted to try to make you happy. You have no idea how much you mean to me Yuzu, I love you so, so much. You are always there for me when I need you, you don't second guess me because you trust me 100%. After how I acted towards you last night: jumping to conclusions without listening because I was jealous...it's not something I'm proud of, and I'm so sorry for not trusting you...I just wanted to show you how much I love you and how much you really mean to me." Mei looked into Yuzu's eye the entire time, and she was certain she could see trickles of water threatening to pool over at any given moment.

"You don't have to apologize for anything, if the positions were reversed, I think I would have reacted much worse." Yuzu managed to say through the lump in her throat. She smiled at Mei so brightly she didn't think she would be able to stop.

"All right then how about we eat this before it goes cold, then snuggle up for a movie?" Mei said gesturing to the mass of food that was definitely too much for the two of them. Yuzu nodded and they both began to devour the food. The apartment was filled with happy chatter while the two ate, enjoying the others company. It was now a little after 8 as the two were happily lost in conversation, soon after they both cleared everything up and retired to the lounge.

Yuzu soon found herself sat beneath several layers of blankets and surrounded by pillows as she watched Mei choose a movie. Mei had planned to make this night focus solely on Yuzu, the movie she had rented was a rom-com that she was certain the blonde would enjoy. She knew that she herself probably wouldn't like it, but it didn't bother her, she was happy just to sit with Yuzu. The movie started and Mei slipped under the blankets and sat beside Yuzu, intertwining their fingers beneath the blankets.

Yuzu any other day would have been happy just to sit with Mei on the couch, however, today she really wanted to snuggle up. She sat up straight and pushed Mei down onto her back, Mei was confused but she didn't argue with the girl, just waited to see where she was going with it. Yuzu quickly took all the blankets off Mei and draped them over herself.

"Really Yuzu?" Mei questioned as she propped herself up on her elbows, looking at the blonde with amusement.

"Just lie back down, I'm not that mean" Yuzu winked as she waited for Mei to do as she was told, before letting herself flop down onto Meis' chest. Mei let out -oomph- followed by a slight wheeze, as she was winded by the blonde sudden action.

Yuzu wriggled her arms around Meis' waist and tucked her head under the younger girl's chin. The blankets drooped over them both and Yuzu smiled into Mei's shoulder as she turned her head so she could still watch the movie. She felt Mei move slightly beneath her to get comfy before wrapping her in a warm embrace.

"You could have just asked you know, no need to wind me like that," Mei said half-heartedly as she kissed the top of Yuzu's head, and hugged her tighter. Mei got a giggle from Yuzu as she felt her nuzzle into her more. Mei felt like she would be forever content to just sit here with Yuzu in her arms. They sat through the movie, while Mei continued to show Yuzu affection, constantly kissing her head, stroking her hair, and never once breaking their embrace.

Yuzu enjoyed the attention Mei was giving her, it was quite rare for Mei to show her this much affection at once, she felt like it was because Mei still felt guilty. If Yuzu was honest with herself, she probably felt worse about the events of last night than Mei did. She should have realized that having so much physical contact with anyone else would have annoyed Mei, to Yuzu a hug or a dance didn't mean much, but it did to Mei.

Yuzu didn't think Mei didn't trust her last night, she just thought that she was mad that someone else was touching her. Did Yuzu touching other people really make Mei feel so insecure? Yuzu contemplated questioning the girl beneath her, who was still stroking her hair.

"Hey Mei," Yuzu asked quietly, she didn't want to ruin the atmosphere but at the same time, she wanted to clear everything up. She got a 'Mmhh' in response, prompting her to continue. She paused trying to figure out the best way to word it, without accusing her of anything.

"Earlier at dinner, you said that you were sorry for not trusting me...Do you always think that I won't be faithful when we go out to gathering or parties? You know I'd never do anything like that right?" Yuzu asked she could hear her own voice wavering, her chest felt tight, her heartbeat rapid, she had asked the question but she was scared for the answer. Just how did Mei see Yuzu.

Meis' hand stilled for the first time in hours and Yuzu felt her breath catch in her throat. Mei didn't answer, Mei didn't know how to answer, how was she supposed to tell the only woman she loved that she didn't like her socializing or having fun with other people because she was too insecure about herself. She felt the weight on her lighten, she looked up to see that Yuzu was now resting on her elbows over Mei, looking straight into her eyes.

"Mei?" Yuzu asked again, as her hair fell down, forming a curtain around the two girls. With still no answer from Mei, Yuzu started to lift herself up, however, Mei grabbed Yuzu by the neck stilling her movements.

"It's not every time... but it sometimes gets to me if your particularly... friendly with someone else" Mei finally said after what felt like a deafeningly long silence. She looked away from the blonde but didn't move her hands as she continued.

"I'm sorry, I don't know why I get like this, just seeing you so close, like that with certain people just gives me the feeling that you are having a better time with them than me. And I know that you would never betray me Yuzu, it's moments like this that remind me of that, but when I'm in the same room as you grinding against someone else I just can't help but feel...jealous, insecure... I don't know...I'm s-sorry" Mei's breath hitched in her final sentences and she felt wet lines roll down her cheeks.

She quickly tried to detangle her arms from Yuzu's neck in order to wipe her tears, but Yuzu got to them first, she stroked Mei's cheek while wiping away her tears with her thumbs, in attempts to calm her now sobbing girlfriend. Yuzu brought her face down to Meis capturing her trembling lips in her own, kissing her softly, she felt Mei's body relax slightly before she broke the kiss and pulled back just enough so that their lips still brushed one another's.

"Mei, you should have told me this before, I'm sorry I didn't know it was hurting you this much. You have absolutely no reason to feel insecure about yourself, you are beautiful... Smart... Funny... Hard working... Resilient... Incredibly sexy... And most importantly you are the _one_ and _only_ person I want to love in this lifetime." Every time Yuzu mentioned one Meis attributes she placed a gentle kiss on Meis' face.

"I won't ever leave you, and from now on when I dance with other people, I'll make sure to keep a respectful distance. Okay? How does that sound?" Yuzu placed one final sweet kiss on Meis' lips, the tingling sensation lingered on their lips as they looked into each other's eyes. Yuzu waited for Meis reply which came as just a rapid nod before she pulled her back down onto her chest hiding her face in the blondes curls.

"Sorry I ruined the mood you worked so hard to make, tonight was amazing, I really appreciated it" Yuzu apologized as she lay in her girlfriends' strong embrace.

"I'm glad you did, I feel better now," Mei laughed as she pulled Yuzu up to kiss her once again. The two lay entangled in each other's arms for the remainder of the night, neither of them wanting to break the warmth they had made.

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 **Thanks for reading this chapter I know its a little bit shorter than the previous one, but I hope you enjoyed it. :)**


	4. A Little Too Much To Drink

Yuzu straddled Mei as she pushed her down onto the bed in hopes of deepening their kiss. Slipping her tongue into Mei's mouth she felt Mei try and retreat, however, Yuzu managed to clasp Mei's tongue before she could, sucking on it as well as her lower lip. She pushed herself down closer to Mei who was lying flush on the mattress as she continued their kiss, daring to go a step further, Yuzu let one of her hands cautiously climb Mei's side. Reaching the destination of her breast, Yuzu gave it a hard squeeze, god how much that satisfied Yuzu.

After what felt like mere seconds, she broke the kiss, her lungs felt like they were going to burst, but Yuzu didn't give in as she leaned down stealing another kiss from Mei, who was still wriggling under her. Yuzu still cupping the breast in her hand started slowly, oh so slowly, grinding against Mei as she continued massaging the younger girl's breast. Maybe tonight was the night Yuzu thought, well there was only one way to find out.

For the second time, she reluctantly left Meis' lips and made light work of her neck and collarbone, slowly working her way to the neckline of Mei's ruffled shirt. Her hand ceased contact with the mound and travelled its way down Mei's flat stomach. Yuzu's movements where so light her fingers were practically dancing over the skin. When they finally reached the waistband of Mei's shorts, her advances were quickly stopped as she felt Mei's firm grip on her wrist.

"Yuzu I said no," Mei managed out through her ragged breath, her voice was hoarse and husky, this only made Yuzu want her more. Though Yuzu stilled her hand her lips never stopped for a second, moving upwards again she sucked on Mei's lower neck, even going as far as biting it.

"Yuzu!" Mei's voice was once again deep and harsh as Yuzu began licking and sucking over the now purple, blue skin. Maybe I bit a little too hard Yuzu thought as she stopped to look at the bite; she could clearly see her teeth imprints on Mei's neck.

Mei took her girlfriend's momental stop as on opening to take control of the situation, she pushed Yuzu backward until she was once again sitting upon Mei, who also rose from the bed. She swiftly removed Yuzu's legs from her waist and stood up, leaving Yuzu on the bed.

"God Yuzu, take a hint I said no," Mei said briefly before walking over to the blonde's mirror on her desk, sighing when she saw the dark bruise and teeth marks on her neck, rubbing it as if that would make a difference.

Yuzu gave a small 'sorry' before climbing under the covers and facing away from Mei, it was still relatively early but she just wanted to go to bed and sleep it off. Again.

They were both well over ¾ through their first year, which was good, but it also meant that Mei had her final assignment due in a couple weeks, and if Yuzu was honest, she wasn't taking it very well.

It wasn't like her years in high school where she would overwork herself, but more like she was constantly stressed, worried if her assignment would get a high grade. Yuzu had never thought Mei was one to be worried about failing, all throughout high school Mei had been confident in her abilities. Yet for the past 3 weeks, since she had gotten her brief, she had been in constant worry.

Yuzu had tried on countless occasions to calm and reassure her after all, Mei had read her assignment to Yuzu a dozen times, Yuzu thought she could probably recite it herself. Mei had finished her assignment several days ago, but now she thought it wasn't good enough or that she had to add more detail, after all, she still had two weeks before she was supposed to hand it in. So, every night after her classes she would come home, have dinner and spend the rest of her night trying to find a way to improve her assignment. And at some point last week, Yuzu was sure that Mei had actually made a second one so she could compare the two.

Yuzu had gotten used to the routine, but there was one part of it she hated. No sex. Yuzu hadn't gotten laid in over 3 weeks, and god how she missed it, having Mei around her all day, sleeping next to her at night, but not being able to touch her. It was driving her mad. No matter how many of the countless ways she tried to turn Mei on, her reply was always along the lines of, 'Not right now Yuzu or when I'm finished my assignment'. Unfortunately for Yuzu, at this rate, it would mean when the clock struck 12 on the date her assignment was due.

Yuzu also had her final exam of the year coming up but she was confident she would pass, she knew the material, she went to study groups and yet she still wanted sex. She didn't know why Mei didn't, and it was starting to get a little frustrating for the blonde, even if she knew it was selfish.

So, there she lay in bed facing away from Mei after being rejected for what must have been the hundredth time, or that's what it felt like. She knew Mei was lying back in bed beside her but all she could hear was the constant tapping of keys, as Mei continued her work on her laptop. It was like a slap in the face, Yuzu knew Mei wanted to focus on her work more than her right now, and Mei was just proving her point. Yuzu tried to ignore it but in the silence of the room, every key Mei struck just irritated her.

Whether it was because she was annoyed or sexually frustrated or the rejection was becoming too much she didn't know, but she snapped at Mei for what seemed like the first time in months. Kicking the covers off herself she climbed out of bed, and headed for the door, dramatically slamming it shut as she left.

Mei sat and watched as the blonde stomped out of the room, closing the door behind her. The only thing she heard the blonde say was a loud 'Fuck' as she walked down the hall, stomping her feet hard against the wooden floor.

Yuzu raked through the cabinets looking for one thing, flinging the last cupboard door shut when she found the dregs in the bottom of the bottle.

"FUCK!" She shouted again, she walked to the door putting her shoes and jacket on. Leaving, she headed for the convenience store that was just down the street from their apartment. Nothing was going right for her.

Sighing contently, she picked up her long-awaited bottle of whiskey from the shelf and headed for the till. As soon as she had paid for it and was back outside, she uncapped the bottle and took a long swig. It burned her throat as it went down, but that's what she needed at the minute, the hot sensation bringing her some sort of comfort.

She headed back to the apartment as she knew she hadn't told Mei where she was going, and she didn't have her phone as it was still in her room. She didn't know if Mei had even noticed she had left or if she had tried to call her. Yuzu looked down at the bottle in her hand and mentally scolded herself, In the 10 minutes it took her to walk to back to her apartment she had drunk more than half the bottle.

"Hmmf, maybe I should have bought two." She halfheartedly laughed as she ascended the staircase of the building, taking another long chug of the liquid. She rattled in her pockets for her keys, grumbling when she remembered she hadn't even thought to pick them up when she left.

Refusing to knock and have to ask Mei to let her back inside, she let herself slide down the wall next to the door and continued to drink. She didn't know when the alcohol started to kick in but it was happening fast, her head felt like it was buzzing around, and she gagged many times while sitting. Her throat was sore from retching, and her mind was fuzzy. She sat with her knees pulled up at her chest and stared at the bottle that she had resting on top of them.

It looked just like the one in the house now, with only a slither of amber liquid moving around at the bottom of the bottle. She laughed and took the last sip before just letting it hang from her hands. She knew she shouldn't have drunk it all but by the time she had bothered to look, it was too late.

Time ticked on for what felt like hours, as Yuzu sat in the cold playing with the empty glass bottle. She had tried many times to get up and go get a second one, but she couldn't even get herself to feet. She didn't know why she had been so angry with Mei, and as she thought about her actions outside in the cold, she had started to see that she was the only one in the couldn't be mad at her for not wanting to have sex that was silly and wrong, Yuzu knew she was under a lot of stress at the minute. As time continued to move forward, she decided she had to apologize.

She staggered to her feet after several unsuccessful attempts and made her way back to the door. She heard the bells ring outside, and as she listened to them, she realized that it was already 12 pm. Had she really been sitting out here for 3 hours? But if that was true why hadn't Mei came looking for her, was she mad at me? Yuzu thought.

Did Mei really care more about her work right now, that she couldn't make the time to come and find me, to make sure I was okay? As Yuzu's mind began to wonder and make up scenarios, her anger once again started to rise but for a completely different reason now. After sifting through her thoughts, she knew her anger before was unnecessary and dropped it, but now she knew that Mei cared more for her work that her safety, Yuzu was beyond mad.

Given, she was the one to storm out of the house but Mei didn't even try and see if she was okay or stop her. Yuzu didn't know what to do, part of her wanted to knock down the door and confront Mei, but the other part just wanted to leave, if Mei couldn't be bothered with her at the minute she should follow suit and wait till Mei wanted to talk.

She could feel her stomach clenching, making her gag, losing what little balance she had she fell down onto the concrete landing. Several minutes later she was wiping the vomit off her chin, as she tried to see through her clouded vision, she was actually surprised she had managed to stay conscious for this long, without vomiting.

Yuzu tried to get back on her feet, and get to the door, however, despite her best efforts, her body didn't listen to her, and she ended up moving backwards rather than forwards. Yuzu felt her body falling but could do nothing to stop it, all she could see was blackness, and she felt her stomach clench once again as her body continued to flip and tumble.

When she finally came to a stop, she couldn't move, the last thing she felt before losing all consciousness was the acidic taste of vomit making its way up her throat. 'Fuck' the last word to run through her mind, at her own stupidity and recklessness.

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 **Hey thanks for reading the latest chapter, I thought I would try and move the story on a little faster and thought it would be fun to throw in some drama ;). Anyways thanks for reading hope you like it.**


	5. Injured

She could hear light sobs as her eyes fluttered open, her vision was still slightly cloudy, but as she quickly scanned the room, she instantly recognized that she was in a hospital. She could hear the constant 'beep' from a monitor next to her and although she couldn't see it right now, she really wanted to turn it off, the dull, repetitive sound was ear piercing.

Yuzu instantly recognized those light sobs as the woman she loved, but why was she crying? And why was she in the hospital? She could feel Mei clutching onto her hand, and she tried to give her girlfriend a reassuring squeeze. She immediately felt the side of the bed Mei was leaning on rise and saw Mei come into her field of vision.

"Ugh" Yuzu tried to speak, but only found herself choking. Mei quickly left her only to return moments later with several nurses.

Yuzu shivered slightly at the sight of the tube that was removed from her throat, before looking back to Mei. Her eyes were red and puffy, hair was a mess and she was still in her... pyjamas? Yuzu was sore but she couldn't help smiling at the sight of Mei standing in her pyjamas in a public place.

"Hey?" Yuzu didn't know what to say, she couldn't remember what had happened or why she was here, or even how she got here. The sound of Yuzu's voice was enough to put Mei over the edge as she felt tears spill over like they had done almost continuously for the past couple of hours. Mei ran over to Yuzu pulling her into a tight embrace, she didn't know what she would do if she hadn't woken up.

"Ow ow ow, Mei that's sore," at Yuzus rushed words Mei quickly removed herself from the girl as she waited for her to say something, but when no answer came from the blonde Mei thought she should say something.

"W-why?" was the only word that came out of Mei's mouth through her choked sobs, and to yuzu that didn't make any sense, she didn't even know why she was here and now Mei was looking at her with red eyes and an accusing look. Before Yuzu could question her, the door opened and several doctors came in.

"Good morning Miss Aihara, nice to see you're awake I'm Dr Messon. How are you feeling?" A cheery man in his 40s spoke as he shuffled round to take a look at her chart.

"Sore... I don't know why I'm here, and I hurt like, everywhere," Yuzu answered with a small smile as she gestured down her body, which earned her a glare from Mei. Which Yuzu returned with another questioning glance before turning her attention back to her doctor.

"Okay, Takahashi is going to present." The doctor said as he gestured to a small woman at the side of the room, who Yuzu thought must have been an intern going of her jacket.

"Miss Yuzu Aihara came in this morning at 12:15 with alcohol poisoning, most of the danger was passed after we pumped her stomach and put her on an IV drip. She was also found to have a small concussion from the fall as well as a fractured right shoulder and a sprained wrist, and some light bruising along the entire right side." when she was finished, she moved back to let the Doctor continue.

"Yes, so Miss Aihara, can you tell me what year it is, or the events leading to how you got here?" He smiled again as he politely waited for an answer.

"Ehh... it's 2019, and I remember leaving the house at about 9 or something like that... buying some alcohol from a shop and coming back home but that's about it. Sorry" Yuzu said sheepishly, she really couldn't remember, what amazed her the most was how she could have injured herself so badly and not remember it.

"It's okay that's not uncommon, I'm gonna go ahead and assume you have quite the headache right now?" he looked at her with a raised eyebrow, which she again nodded and smiled at.

"Last night you were brought here in an ambulance and after some help from your friends here, we were able to see that you had drunk an entire bottle of whiskey, she had also told us that she found you at the bottom of a flight of stairs. Which is where we think you got your fracture and sprain from as they were most likely the point of impact when you fell. You have a slight concussion from the fall as well as some minor cuts and bruises." He paused as if to give Yuzu time to take in the information.

"We are going to do some mandatory check-ups and if everything comes back clear you should be able to go home by the end of the day. Do you have any questions?" Yuzu slowly shook her head, as she started to remember the events of last night at the doctor's words. And soon it was just Mei and Yuzu sitting in the hospital room.

Mei was sitting on Yuzu's left tightly clasping the blonde's hand in both of hers as she lightly kissed her fingers.

"Why would you do something so stupid Yuzu, you are supposed to be a medical student you know what could have happened, what if I hadn't found you... Why would you drink that much?" Mei was crying once again as she grasped onto the hand tighter as if she would disappear if she let go.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get that drunk, I just wanted something to drink and we were all out so I had to go and buy some, but when I got home I realized I hadn't brought my keys. So, I just waited outside." Yuzu trailed off as she heard just how stupid she sounded.

"Why didn't you just knock I would have come and let you in, why did u sit out in the cold for hours when you could have just asked me to let you inside? I was worried sick, I didn't know what had happened to you. At first, I thought you were just in the lounge but when I went through to find you there was no one there." Yuzu could hear the cracks in her voice but she stayed silent knowing she had more to say.

"When I tried to call you I realized that you had left your phone. I didn't know where you went but I thought you had just gone out to let off some steam, but you were taking so long to come back. I just... Then I heard glass shattering outside, then a loud bang. When I got there, I found you at the bottom of the stairs, covered and choking on your sick, you were covered in cuts and shaking, I just... lost it. I didn't know what to do. I froze."

"Mei" Yuzu didn't know what she was supposed to say, she had thought Mei didn't know or even care she was gone, and now she was finding out she had been worrying the whole night. But if Mei didn't call then how did she get into the hospital?

"How did I get here then?" she asked cautiously not wanting to upset Mei any more.

"Our neighbour heard the commotion as well and called the ambulance, I couldn't, I didn't know what to do. I'm sorry." Mei was now hugging Yuzus hand as she continued to show her dismay and apologized.

"Why are you apologizing? I had actually planned on saying sorry to you. While I was outside I realized that I had no right to be mad at you, I'm sorry for getting upset about something so trivial. I'm sorry I made you worry so much. And I didn't want to knock because I was mad, at the time I thought you cared more about your assignment than me. I know it's silly after hearing how worried you were, but I wasn't thinking straight I guess I was just being stubborn and didn't want to have to ask for your help." Yuzu, despite her pain, sat up and pulled Mei closer using her mobile arm to wrap Mei in a tight hug as she placed soft kisses on her head.

"Anyways, seems like my actions were kinda counterproductive." Yuzu chuckled as she lay back into the bed.

"What do you mean?" Mei asked, still holding her hand. Yuzu smiled awkwardly at the question.

"Well I was mad at you for not wanting to have sex, now thanks to my actions I definitely won't be able to, at least not for a while." Mei looked at her grinning girlfriend with a slight blush, that was not what she was expecting. But she smiled anyway, glad to see that she was back to her cheerful self.

"I'm sure I can figure out a way," Mei said, she knew her face was as red as a tomato but she smiled anyway. Yuzu also smiled back, she felt so much lighter.

Hours later, after several tests and Mei had spoken to the doctor about what she needed to do whilst taking care of Yuzu once they got home. She got given Yuzu's pain relief tablets and instructions about her cast and sling, and they were now on their way home. Yuzu looked over at Mei who was concentrating on the road, Yuzu could see the bags under Mei's eyes, it was quite obvious to the blonde that she hadn't slept all night while waiting for her to wake up.

"You know Mei you didn't have to drive, we could have just gotten the train back, I know how tired you are." She said, but she knew it was futile as she had already tried to persuade Mei not to drive, however, Mei was adamant that Yuzu needed to be taken home as fast as possible and shouldn't have to sit on a bumpy, crowded train cart.

"You know Yuzu, you didn't have to go out and get whiskey just because you couldn't get laid, you could have just had a beer, you know we have those in the fridge." Yuzu could see the smug smile Mei was wearing as she looked at her briefly before turning back to the road, she just snorted in response, she was glad Mei was able to joke about the situation. If she was going to be housebound for several days, she didn't want Mei to be in a bad mood with her.

"Hey Yuzu?" The blonde looked back at Mei waiting for her to continue. "Yeah?" There was a pause in the conversation, as Mei decided on her next words which fell heavy in the silence of the car when she spoke.

"You know I love you... more than anything in the world, I would give up anything to be with you, you are my purpose for living. If I lost you I would be lost myself. So... so please don't be so damn reckless with your life from now on... Okay?" Her voice was wavering a little but was stern and sounded almost like a plea, she was still focused on the road not daring to look at the blonde who she knew was watching her.

"I promise," was all Yuzu said, she didn't need to say anymore, they both clearly knew how the other felt about the situation, about each other. The rest of the journey home was relatively silent apart from little snippets of conversation.

When they reached their apartment door, Yuzu found the shattered bottle of glass at the front door along with her vomit, 'I must have dropped it here before I fell last night' she thought, I need to clean this up before we get a complaint. Oh, and I have to thank our neighbours, and what about my classes what am I going to do. As all these thoughts rushed through her head, she felt Mei's hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, I'll clean it all up, you just need to rest, we can speak to people about it later okay? And I'll message the school and see about getting your work emailed to you for the next couple of days, so let's just get you inside to get some rest." Mei finished as she opened the door gesturing for Yuzu to go inside.

She walked in and headed for the bedroom picking out her fluffiest pair of pyjamas before heading to the bathroom to run a warm bath, a hot relaxing bath sounded heavenly to Yuzu right now. She sat and waited for it to fill, as she heard Mei cleaning the steps outside. She didn't think it was right for Mei to have to clean up her mess, but she didn't think there was anyways she was going to persuade her to stop.

Yuzu struggled out of her dirty clothes and tossed them into the laundry basket before slipping into the steaming bath, making sure to keep her cast out of the water. She had a cast on her forearm for her wrist and a sling on top of that for her shoulder, she could take the sling off whilst washing but she was told not to take the cast off for a couple of weeks when her next check-up would be to get it removed.

With some struggle, she managed to wash her body, but she couldn't wash her long locks while simultaneously keeping her sore arm out of the bath. Annoyed at her own inability to wash she reluctantly called Mei.

"Mei!?" She shouted so the other woman would hear her through the door, within seconds Mei was standing in the bathroom, Yuzu smiled realizing she had run.

"Would you mind washing my hair, I would do it but I don't want to risk getting my cast wet. Sorry to..." She trailed off at the sight of Mei undressing in front of her, she smiled and moved slightly in the bath so that Mei could sit behind her.

"I'll happily help, you don't have to be sorry," she smiled and started to wet the blonde's hair before massaging the scalp with shampoo, rinsing and repeating the process with conditioner. When she was done, she sighed and wrapped her arms around Yuzu, laying sweet kisses on her bare shoulder and back.

"I love you," she said between kisses, Yuzu smiled and leaned back into Mei, happy just to sit in her grasp.

"I love you too." Yuzu replied. After sitting there for a long time Mei decided it was best for Yuzu to get out of the bath encase she became dizzy. Yuzu reluctant at first, happily complied as Mei took her out of the bath and dried her before dressing the blonde, kissing her all over as she did.

This was the most attention Yuzu had received in weeks, and although she was sore, she really didn't want Mei to stop. When the last of her clothes were on, Mei captured Yuzu in a long passionate kiss, which Mei nor Yuzu wanted to end.

"C'mon, you need to go to bed," Mei said with a smile as she eased away from Yuzu and opened the bathroom door for her. Mei tucked Yuzu into bed after covering her with extra blankets and pillows to make sure she was comfortable, gave her one final kiss before leaving the bedroom. When she got to the lounge, she felt all her strength disappear as she collapsed onto the couch, feeling the all too familiar sensation of tears spilling over her cheeks.

She didn't think they were sad tears but tears of happiness, gratefulness even, she really couldn't see her life without Yuzu in it. It was currently late afternoon and she decided she would have a quick power nap before preparing dinner for the two, then she had to get school sorted out. After all, she would probably only get one or two days away from her studies to look after Yuzu, so she had to get everything ready for the blonde.

Yuzu woke to the delicious smell of food wafting through the apartment, she always craved food after a hangover more times than not she wanted savoury, and today was no different as the smell made her mouth water. She quickly got out of bed and walked through to the kitchen where she saw a smiling Mei putting a plate of food, a mug of tea and some juice onto a tray, which yuzu assumed was for herself.

Yuzu sat herself down at the dinner table and admired her lover from a distance, Mei must have been extremely tired if she hadn't noticed the blonde the whole time. Yuzu finally decided to speak, her throat was still sore from vomiting so much last night, but she didn't mind.

"Hey beautiful, thanks for making dinner it smells amazing" Mei almost dropped the spoon she was holding at the sound of yuzus voice, she quickly turned around to see her sitting patiently at the table, a big grin plastered on her face. Mei's smile faded as she began to worry.

"Yuzu you should be in bed resting your arm it won't heal if you don't rest. I was just about to bring your dinner through to the bedroom, you can go back through I'll be there in a minute." Yuzu didn't move an inch even when Mei used her 'student council president' voice, Yuzu was used to it now, she continued to smile.

"You hate eating in bed, last time you came home early from a class and caught me eating crisps in bed you nearly killed me there and then. I believe the word you used to describe the action was 'disgusting' before completely changing all the sheets, and on top of that, you were mad for like 3 days. So, I think I'm gonna eat at the table" Yuzu laughed and shuddered at the memory and stayed seated.

Mei also let out a chuckle as she brought the tray over and gave yuzu a kiss.

"That was under different circumstances, but if you want to eat here then fine," She walked back and plated herself some up before returning to the table to sit opposite Yuzu, eyeing her sceptically.

"It doesn't hurt don't worry, I'm fine really, just super hungry," she smiled, before picking up her chopsticks and began eating.

"Oh my gosh Mei, this tastes like heaven... I don't know what you did but well done your cooking really is improving...Yummy" Yuzu continued to praise Mei's efforts throughout her meal. Mei had known she would want something savoury as she always did after a night out, so she had decided to make one of Yuzu's favourite dishes. She knew her food wasn't bad but she knew that Yuzu was exaggerating the taste because of her hangover.

As soon as dinner was over Mei had sent Yuzu back to bed after rejecting her offer to help tidy up, Yuzu waited for what felt like hours until Mei came into the room to get ready for bed. She watched in awe as Mei changed into a pair of cotton shorts and an oversized blue shirt, before climbing into bed on Yuzus left. Yuzu didn't feel much pain in her shoulder as she had taken her tablets not that long ago at the instructions of Mei. She tightly wrapped her arm around Mei pulling her as close as possible, knowing that Mei would be too cautious to do it herself.

"Yuzu be careful, you are going to hurt yourself, the doctor said no strenuous activities or anything that could irritate your shoulder." Though Mei said this Yuzu could feel her nestling in closer towards her body, laying one hand on Yuzus stomach the other around her back, while resting her head on Yuzu's chest. The sound of Yuzu's heartbeat brought Mei so much comfort.

"Heey Meeei, do you want to do something for me?" Yuzu asked Mei as she pulled back to look into her eyes smiling brightly. Mei however almost cringed at the whining tone Yuzu had spoken in but decided against showing her annoyance and just nodded at the blonde.

"What do you need?" Mei said as she sat up on her elbow to look down on Yuzu, she had a feeling she knew what was coming next by the grin on Yuzu's face, but waited for a reply anyway.

"Well, I read this study the other week in school, about how 'Natural Pleasure' (Yuzu winked) can help with pain relief in the female body, and gosh Mei I really am in so much pain right now. So, will you help me out?" Yuzu had a tinge of red on her cheeks as she spoke in a sultry tone, Yuzu wasn't lying she had read an article saying just that but had never bothered about it till now.

"Are you serious Yuzu, trying to use medicine to get me into bed?" Mei smiled back to Yuzu a mixture of disbelief and humour on her face. Her reply was completely serious.

"Very, completely, deadly, utterly serious." Yuzu had a lecherous grin on her face as she leaned up to kiss Mei. Who happily leaned down into the blonde. After a few moments, she pulled away, giving Yuzu several more kisses over her face.

"If you had said that on any other day in any other circumstance, I might have taken you right there. But you need to rest and trust me," Mei leaned down to Yuzu's ear and lightly bit on the skin.

"You couldn't handle me tonight." Mei winked herself at Yuzu who was flushed red at Mei response, Mei laughed before kissing her again and settling back down on her left side.

"Goodnight, love you," Mei said and was met with the usual reply from Yuzu.

"Night, I love you too." With a final kiss on the head, they both drifted to sleep together for the first time in over a week.

 _ **Hey Guys thanks for reading, hope you liked this chapter :).**_


	6. Sick Day

Mei lay smiling next to a sleeping Yuzu as she lightly stroked the girl's bangs, she didn't want to wake her, she was just so beautiful and peaceful sleeping. Mei had gotten up hours ago, she had already been to the school to pick up necessary textbooks that Yuzu needed as well as explaining her absence for the next couple of days. On her way home, she had been to the store to stock up on Yuzu's favourite foods, she had cleaned the entire apartment till she was sure it was sparkling, all the laundry was on, plus breakfast was ready.

Now, she was back in bed and reluctant to wake the sleeping beauty, Mei had considered just letting her sleep and get her rest, but she still needed to study, it was already past noon and Mei was sure she would ruin her sleeping schedule if she continued to sleep.

"Yuzu, babe you have to get up breakfast is ready, its gonna go cold if you don't hurry," Mei said softly as she continued to massage the blonde's hair. She saw her stir in her slumber but turn her head away slightly. Mei couldn't resist giving her a kiss, she just looked so innocent. She leaned over the sleeping figure and carefully placed soft kisses on her cheeks and nose, with a final featherlike kiss on her soft lips.

Yuzu's eyes quickly fluttered open at the sensation only to close again when she saw who was kissing her, she leaned into the kiss, there was no hesitation in Yuzu's actions as she deepened the touch.

"Good morning to you too," Yuzu said as she smiled at Mei who was still currently giving faint kisses over her face and neck. Yuzu went to wrap her arms around Mei to pull her into another kiss but stopped instantly at the pain that shot through her arm. She scrunched her face at the pain attempting to avoid making any noise to alarm Mei, though her efforts to conceal her discomfort were quickly seen though as Mei sat up abruptly.

"Yuzu be careful!" Mei scolded Yuzu before sliding off the bed and standing straight, Yuzu sat up in bed sheepishly scratching the back of her neck, smiling while looking away.

"Breakfast is ready, get dressed and come through... and be careful," Mei gave Yuzu one more look before walking out of the room to set up the table.

Yuzu sighed, she cursed herself for ruining the moment, she kicked her legs over the side of the bed and made her way out of the room before slouching down at the table, waiting for Mei to bring the food over. She had noticed that there was not a single item out of place in the apartment, how long had Mei been up? Yuzu didn't know why Mei was making such a big deal out of it, she couldn't use one arm for the next couple of weeks, but she could still do chores and help out. She didn't like feeling like a helpless child, she had always done her part when looking after the flat and cooking for the two, never once did she think about letting Mei do it all, even if she was injured.

"And what's with the sour look on your face? You can't be tired I've let you sleep for over 13 hours, I've already made breakfast, so..." Mei tailed off while gesturing at Yuzu as a sign for her to tell her what was wrong. Yuzu quickly snapped out her thoughts as she recognised she was scowling in Mei's general direction.

"Oh, nothing! I'm perfectly okay! Just hungry," Yuzu gave her a big thumbs up and a smirk, hoping to reassure her girlfriend. Mei gave Yuzu her plate and sat herself down with a cup of tea as she observed her grinning partner.

"Okay, well I went to school and picked up some stuff for you for the next week, and I managed to get 3 days off, so I'll be here if you need anything. Oh, and I already took the recycling out so you don't need to do that." Mei replied and gave her a small smile, while she sipped on her tea.

Crap, it was Yuzu's day to take the bins out, she was supposed to do that before 8 this morning, and she didn't need to go into school, I could have just got one of my friends to bring the material over after class. And why was Mei taking time out her studies?

"Thanks, you should have woken me I would have gotten up. Exactly why are you taking days off from classes you are going to miss a lot, I can take care of myself at home ya know?" Yuzu said whilst stuffing her face.

"I just wanted to be here to make sure you were okay, I know you are capable of looking after yourself, but I _wanted_ to look after you, after all, It's my fault you got hurt in the first place," Yuzu was shocked at Meis reply, she looked up and smiled at Mei who had a pink tinge to her ears and cheeks. She thought it was adorable that even after dating for 4 years she still blushed, Yuzu knew she herself blushed all the time, but Mei constantly tried to hide her blush, Yuzu thought it was super cute!

"Awe, your so sweet Mei, are you worried I'll get lonely while you're gone?" Yuzu teased as she pointed her chopsticks accusingly at Mei, who's blush increased but she continued to look at the blonde.

"Of course," She said as she got up and walked over to Yuzu, wrapping her arms around Yuzu's neck and giving her light hug before turning her head to the side, giving her a passionate kiss. She slipped her tongue into yuzu's mouth deepening the kiss as she ran her hand over her delicate neck and up through her hair. Yuzu shuddered at the delicate feeling and relished at the kiss, sooner than she would have liked Mei pulled away and smiled as she rested her head against the blonde.

"Besides wouldn't you rather have me around to do that?" Mei said smugly as she looked into Yuzu's bright eyes. Yuzu's only response was to pull Mei into another kiss.

"Finish eating first," Mei smiled and sat back down, pulling one of her textbooks onto the table as she waited for Yuzu.

When she was finished, she made her way back to the bedroom to fetch some supplies before plonking herself down on the floor in the lounge, her books scattering over the coffee table. Mei promptly made her way over and joined Yuzu in the settee, sitting herself down on the couch behind her.

After hours of studying Yuzu collapsed back into Mei's shins letting out a long sigh.

"Ugh, sooo much information," Yuzu whined letting her head flop back to rest in-between Mei's Knees, she could see Mei smiling down at her, amused at her little drama.

"How's your assignment going, confident in it yet?" Yuzu asked from her position between Mei's legs.

"Well... it needs some extra work but I think I should pass at the very least, it needs to be perfect, I really want to do well. This is my final chance to prove myself this year, I can't afford to mess it up." Mei gave her a smile but Yuzu still knew that she was anxious about it.

"I'm sure it's going to explode the examiner's mind it's gonna be so good. You don't have a thing to worry about, kay? Here read It to me again, I'll listen and comment on anything that I believe needs improvement," Yuzu smiled again, she really wasn't interested at all in what Mei's paper was on, but she wouldn't let Mei know that, so she sat patiently while Mei recited her paper, taking mental notes.

When she was done, she looked at Yuzu hoping that she had found faults in her work, she had expected her to say what she had the last several times, 'It's great, stop worrying,' which was as much help as no help. But was pleasantly surprised when Yuzu actually gave some helpful advice.

"Sounds great, but I think you could use some quotes for the opposing argument in the 3rd paragraph, it's lacking a little compared to the others." Yuzu said still sitting in her weird position that Mei couldn't see how it was pleasant in the least. Yuzu laughed at Mei's shocked reaction.

"You don't have to look so surprised, I'm kinda smart ya know," she winked as she tilted her head back even further so she could look Mei in the eyes.

"I know you are," Mei said as she leaned down over Yuzu and placed a delicate kiss on her lips,

"Thanks for the advice, that might actually help," She gave her one last kiss before going back to her laptop, typing furiously. That was Yuzu's cue to go back to her own studies, she groaned as she shuffled forward away from Mei and continued with her work on the table.

As time trickled by Yuzu felt herself growing hungry, when she looked at the clock it was already past six, she instantaneously pushed her work away from her and using her good hand pushed herself to her feet, Mei looked at her curiously. Yuzu simply pointed towards the clock, Mei followed her gesture, her eyes going wide when she realized how late it was getting. She shot off the couch and made her way to the kitchen.

"Sorry Yuzu I didn't realize the time, what would you like for dinner?" She spoke in a rushed tone, already getting out pans and utensils, Yuzu laughed at her fretting girlfriend.

"Can we just get take out? I can't be bothered to wait, and I don't want you to cook." Mei looked at her incredulously, not moving from the kitchen.

"I don't mind making it Yuzu, and you know that kind of food is full of rubbish." Mei's argument was fair, she very rarely let Yuzu order take always, she would occasionally order it when she knew Mei wasn't going to be home till late. Which didn't go unnoticed by the raven-haired girl as she would almost always have a go at Yuzu later for it.

"Come on Mei, we've been studying all day I just want a burger and some fries," Yuzu pouted as she struggled to cross her arm under her sling. Mei stood and considered her for several moments before nodding briefly, within seconds of her approval Yuzu was on the phone making an order.

When she was finished, she thanked Mei with a kiss. Mei didn't respond to it as she glared slightly at her overjoyed lover.

"You said a burger and fries, not the entire bloody menu Yuzu, we are never going to eat everything you ordered and everything you asked for is so unhealthy, I'm not paying for it. I'll make my own dinner." Yuzu just laughed at Mei's passion, stopping her from pulling the ingredients out of the fridge to look over at the giggling blonde.

"It's not funny Yuzu, stop laughing!" Mei's response only made Yuzu beam more, as she walked around and took the items from Mei putting them back in the fridge and cupboard.

"Mei, calm down, I'll pay for it, and you're not cooking okay? I ordered loads of food and you are going to eat it," Yuzu said happily as she enveloped her free arm around Mei's neck pulling her face close enough to rest their foreheads together.

"Just chill okay, one night of unhealthy isn't going to kill you," she gave her another kiss as she waited for her reply, which came promptly, and although her voice was bitter Yuzu smiled and thanked her.

"Fine" 20 minutes later Yuzu leapt to the door as she grabbed her wallet from her bag, hunger taking over her as she practically vaulted over the furniture, gaining her several concerned shouts from Mei. When she finally got to the door, she was greeted by a man holding two bags of food, she graciously paid the 6,000 yen and made her way back inside pushing one of the bags with her foot.

"Mei come and help me, I can't carry both of the bags," Yuzu yelled down the hall, only to be greeted with a sullen looking Mei who took both the bags from Yuzu over to the table.

"Well if you hadn't ordered so much you would be able to carry it," Mei said piercingly, still unsatisfied with Yuzu having ordered so much food.

"Mei!" Yuzu was surprised at how sharp and irritated her voice sounded, she stopped as Mei looked back at her with a challenging glower, unsure of what do next, she walked over and started unpacking the food.

With Mei's assistance, it wasn't long before they were sitting at the table eating the food in silence, Yuzu watched as Mei reluctantly ate the food she had bought.

"Sorry, I didn't mean for it to come out like that, I ehh... just didn't want to hear you complain, again." Mei gave a quick 'It's fine,' before continuing to eat.

Yuzu wanted to have a fun, relaxing dinner, not an awkward silence as Mei refused to look at her.

"Meiii please, I'm sorry, you know I didn't mean to sound harsh, can't we just have a pleasant dinner and talk like normal, I really don't want to fight...Not today," Yuzu had stopped eating and was looking at straight at Mei, hoping to get at least some kind of response.

"Okay, I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have made such a big deal out of getting takeout, you are ill and if you want to indulge in crude, vulgar, chemical covered foods I shouldn't try to stop you." She gave a thin smile and continued eating. Well, it was better than nothing Yuzu thought.

They proceeded to eat making small conversation, and when they were both finished there was still mountains of food left over, Yuzu grinned as she knew she had overspent.

"See I told you, you just wasted your money, spending all that when you knew we wouldn't eat it." Mei didn't have a scolding tone it was more tired and drained, which Yuzu picked up on straight away. She put down the boxes she was holding and pulled Mei into a loose embrace placing long slow kisses on her bare neck.

"I'm sorry, you were right like normal. But can we just drop it? I know you are exhausted, you have been up since god knows when studying and cleaning all day, so let's just forget about it and go to bed okay." She continued to trace Mei's neck with her lips as she waited for Mei to answer her.

She heard an incoherent mumble from Mei before she pulled away and placed a single kiss on the pink lips of her lover, she took Meis hand and drew her to the bedroom to get ready for bed. Once Yuzu was comfy in bed she waited for Mei, and like the prior night, she watched with painful concentration as Mei undressed in front of her. She wanted to march over and stop her from putting on any clothes, taking her right there, even if they had solved their issue about being more affectionate towards one another, Yuzu was still craving Mei's touch.

Without a second thought Yuzu was pushing Mei against the chest of drawers in their room, and although she struggled with only one arm, she had successfully stopped Mei from putting her shirt on and currently had her trapped in a feverous kiss.

Yuzu heard Mei moan into the kiss as she had done many times before, but it sounded divine to Yuzu, she hadn't heard her moan like this in a long time and Yuzu didn't want to hold back. She had already shimmied out of her short shorts and was attempting to free herself from her shirt while still holding Mei in the kiss.

To Yuzu's disappointment, Mei gently pushed her away, careful not to touch her right arm. Yuzu looking into Mei's eyes, they were full of lust and want, much like her own.

"Are you sure Yuzu, I mean isn't your shoulder and wrist still sore, and what about your bruises they still hurt?" Mei reluctantly kept her distance as she examined the needy blonde.

"Mei, take my shirt off," Mei complied, carefully removing the oversized material, exposing Yuzu's elegant body, her stomach was semi-toned and her skin was peachy, Mei was hypnotised, captivated by Yuzu's body.

Yuzu slipped her sling off, letting it fall to the ground she raised her arm and turned to the side showing Mei her entire right side. She lightly drew her free hand over her side, tracing over the only slightly yellow skin, turning back to face Mei.

"I'm completely fine, the bruising isn't even that bad, so just stop fretting." She moved forward taking Mei into another kiss while gradually drawing her back to the bed. When her knees made contact, she let herself sink back onto the mattress as Mei followed.

Mei pushed herself against the blonde, gently grinding their bodies together as their kiss never ceased, she let her hands roam over the hot body that writhed below her. She tenderly kneaded the smooth bust, as she neglected Yuzu's lips to trail along her jaw and biting when she got to her neck leaving marks. She moved back up catching the small earlobe in her teeth as she spoke, her breath hot against Yuzu's skin.

"I've...missed you so...so much," Mei said taking the skin inside her mouth, sucking lightly on it, before letting her tongue slide up the outline of her ear. Her hands swiftly made their way over Yuzu's body, landing on her breasts, fingering her firm nipples.

Yuzu let out countless moans, as she arched her back upwards into Mei's clutch desperate for more. Mei moved to suck on Yuzu's throat, determined to cover her lover with her markings. Mei could feel Yuzu straining her hips towards her insinuating she wanted more.

She quickly replaced her hand with her mouth and consumed the hard, pink flesh, rolling the solid nub with her teeth, tugging somewhat every now and again. Letting her hand slither between the pair, she slipped beneath the waistband of Yuzu's underwear wasting no time as she immediately stroked the soaked slits.

"Uugh, P-please d-don't stop!" Yuzu cried out as she felt Mei effortlessly slip two fingers into her, her pace fast and steady, knowing Yuzu craved her long-awaited release. Yuzu drove her hips to meet Meis every thrust, and she could feel her walls clamping down on Meis slick fingers.

"Mei... I'm c-close" Yuzu didn't need to say any more as Mei could feel her hips becoming more forceful. Yuzu's back arched as Mei's fingers advanced in as deep as they could curling at a precise point, Mei knew exactly what she was looking and smirked at Yuzu's reaction.

With several final thrusts, she felt the blonde clasp down for a final time as her whole body shuddered in pleasure as she cried out for Mei.

Mei finally freed the nipple and returned to Yuzu's quivering lips, taking her in an intense kiss her tongue exploring as she didn't need to do much to dominate the blonde.

"Better?" Mei questioned as she came up for air, her breath was ungracious and ragged against Yuzus lips. As Yuzu came down from her high, she didn't reply to Mei as she just hauled her down for another kiss, it was hurried and messy but neither was complaining.

"Not quite yet," Yuzu stated she slowly sat up using her left arm to steady her, she manoeuvred Mei so their crotches grazed against each other. She moved her hips gradually at first as she seductively rolled her tongue along Mei's neck coming to a halt at the base of her sensitive ear.

"One more time," without any unnecessary foreplay she began thrusting vigorously against Mei, who quickly met her every thrust. Yuzu grasped onto mei's shoulder for support as she continued her motions, every time their lips smashed against each other's yuzu could hear the wonderful sounds of her lovers fluids mixing with her own. Before long Yuzu could feel her second climax for the night building up in her stomach, intensifying at a rapid pace.

"Meii, I'm gonna... are yo-you...?" Her breath was almost incoherent she was breathing so hard, her loud pants were soon muffled as Mei pulled her into yet another clumsy kiss as her hips rode faster into blonde. Within moments they both shivered at the feeling of release, as they rode out their orgasms.

Mei let herself slump onto the bed as her stamina finally gave out, and was soon accompanied by the blonde who rested on her heaving chest.

"Okay, now I'm better," Mei smirked at Yuzu's words, giving her one last kiss she carefully wrapped her arms around the blonde tugging the blanket over the two of them.

"So, what do you want to do now, I mean it's not even nine yet?" Mei questioned as she continued to hold the blonde close, she felt Yuzu move somewhat and reach over her to the bedside table.

"How about we just stay in bed and watch a movie? I just want to lay here with you," Yuzu said as she turned on the TV that sat opposite the bed on the wall, flicking randomly through the channels until she found a movie.

"Okay," Mei responded happily as shuffled the two in bed to get comfy before they stayed contently resting in the other's arms, before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

 _ **Thanks for reading the latest chapter, thought it had been a while since we had some 'love' so brought it back. Hope you liked it :).**_

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	7. An Unwarranted Kiss

**_This chapter is set a couple weeks after Mei's assignment was due in, both the girls have handed in the assignments for their respective course and are currently just on their last few weeks of school before the Summer vacation :). I also know it isn't quite accurate, but Yuzu has had her sling and cast removed, It's easier for me to write when not having to take into consideration Yuzu's minor handicap. lol,_** ** _Hope you enjoy_**

"Hey Mei, so now that your assignment has been handed in and you don't have anything to worry about, what are you thinking of doing this weekend?" Yuzu asked bouncing on the balls of her heels as she watched Mei unpack her bag. Mei didn't stop as she chatted to her girlfriend, punctually putting everything away, she didn't have any plans for the weekend, but wasn't quite sure why the blonde was asking.

"I've not really got any plans apart from some extra study, why?" Mei proceeded to put away her belongings before turning around, where she was greeted with an iconic Yuzu grin. She adored that smile but something was unsettling about it, not in a way that made Mei feel uncomfortable but one that made her feel the blonde was going to suggest something she wasn't going to be particularly fond of.

"Well I thought we could do something, and seen as you're not busy you don't have a reason to say no," Yuzu continued to smile as she waited for Mei to finish organizing before stepping towards her, lacing her forearms over the small shoulders.

"Okay, we can go shopping if you want, or maybe have a movie day or we haven't been on a date in a while we could go out and do something?" Mei suggested as she leaned in and lovingly kissed the blonde, she loved the idea of spending the weekend together. Yuzu partook in the kiss for a moment before leaning away slightly.

"Well, those all sound great and we can do those another day or at some point this weekend, but I was thinking about doing something new," Yuzu's words were intriguing to Mei as she prompted her to proceed.

"I, ehh... I want to throw a party, you know like an end of term sort of thing. We have loads of friends so guest won't b-" Yuzu was cut off as Mei moved out of her embrace shaking her head.

"Absolutely not, I go to those parties because you like to attend them, but I will most certainly not play host to something so boorish," Mei's tone was firm and resolute, almost enough for Yuzu not to push back, but she had to try. They had been to many parties since they started college but Yuzu wanted to throw one before she was no longer a freshman.

"Why not?" Yuzu pouted, which seemed unbelievable to Mei, did Yuzu really think she would say yes to such a proposal? Mei though slightly irritated by the challenge, arranged her argument without hesitation.

"Do I need a reason to not want a bunch of drunk people in my house? Besides, the apartment is small and would fit like 40 people. We live in a flat and would get complaints from all the noise, not to mention all the mess that I no doubt would have to clean up. I'm sorry Yuzu, but I'm saying no this time," She stood with her arms crossed as she narrowed her eyes at Yuzu. As much as it hurt her to deny the blonde she really didn't want people apart from close friends in her home, especially if they were going to be drunk.

"We can still go to a party this weekend, I don't mind just as long as it's not in my house." Mei was austere but she tried to sound considerate. Yuzu's reply bewildered Mei.

"It's _Our_ house, not _your_ house, so stop saying 'my'!" Yuzu stood frustrated, obviously annoyed at Mei's statements, it took Mei a moment to realise what she had just said before she quickly removed her hands from her hips and waved them in Yuzu's direction, making random gestures to try and convey her point.

"That's what I meant, sorry I didn't mean anything by it. But I still mean what I said, _we_ are not throwing a party, but we can go to one if you want?" Mei seemed slightly flustered however she quickly recovered, trying to appeal to Yuzu who still had a bitter look on her face.

"Hmph fine, dinners ready," Yuzu said in a huff as she walked out of the room, leaving Mei alone. Mei, although she felt bad thought it was amusing that even at 20, she still managed to pull off a tantrum. She soon walked out of the room to find the huffy blonde, Mei didn't want it to be an argument, their apartment was small they had neighbours of all ages and shouldn't be making that much noise, there was no way around it no matter how much Yuzu would have liked it.

"Yuzu come on, you can't be mad at me, smile...please, for me?" Mei said as she approached her grumbling girlfriend, who twisted around at her words.

"I can so be mad at you," Although she said this Yuzu was smiling slightly, which relived the other girl.

"Why do you want to host a party so bad, how is it going to be any different from just attending one like always?" Mei asked she wanted to know why Yuzu was so hung up on this idea of hers. Yuzu shrugged, she walked past Mei over to the table settling down with her dinner.

"Dunno, it sounded fun and a change would have been nice, but it doesn't matter any more you said no," Yuzu continued to sulk, knowing all too well that doing so would influence Mei to comply with her. Yuzu sat with her back to Mei who was still standing behind the counter in the kitchen, Yuzu knew Mei was currently contemplating giving in and thought it only a matter of seconds before she would come, sit at the table and say yes to her.

Yuzu didn't like guilt-tripping Mei, but she knew it worked and she really wanted this. A sigh came from the kitchen followed by Mei sitting down at the table with her plate just as Yuzu had predicted, Yuzu tried to hide her smile from Mei as her plan was falling into place.

"I swear you do this on purpose Yuzu," Mei accused which only made the blondes efforts at concealing her smile futile, she was now beaming forwardly at the black haired girl sitting opposite her.

"Well... Maybe I had considered you would say no and thought of a... plan B?" Yuzu chuckled softly, Mei gave another loud exhale before finally giving Yuzu what she wanted.

"Fine, you can host your little party, however! I don't want anyone I don't know here and can you make it more of a get together rather than a party, if you are going to do this, I would rather our 'real' friends come and like I said before I don't want the music too loud, we don't want complaints." When she was finished Yuzu's smile had depleted slightly but she regained her earlier confidence, as she took to the compromise.

"Deal. Only main friends and have the music on low," She smiled and continued to eat the rest of her dinner in triumph, while Mei sat in defeat as she had once again given into the blonde's request.

The last of the week had flown by for the two and before they knew it was Friday afternoon, the day Yuzu had decided she wanted to host her 'gathering'. Yuzu was currently unpacking shocking amounts of liquor onto the countertop when she heard Mei ask the same question she had already asked several times when buying the alcohol.

"Are you sure we are going to need this much, I mean, I thought you had only invited a few people surely you don't think a couple of people are going to drink this much?" Mei queried as she also started unloading her bags of beverages onto the table, she really didn't think they needed 10 bottles of spirits and on top of that Yuzu had insisted on buying more than half a dozen cases of beer. Of course, Mei had said no in the store, but her comments went unnoticed as Yuzu continued to load the cart with booze.

"Yes I only invited like 20 people, but you can never be over-prepared, and anything that's still salvageable we can just drink later." Yuzu replied as she now examined the apartment for anything to tidy up, while Mei looked at her sceptically, she didn't want to challenge her any further but one question had been eating away at her since they had bought the alcohol.

Yuzu had her sling removed a little over a week ago, since then she had been to a couple downsized parties and had drunk a little but Mei had always kept a watchful eye on her, she knew it wasn't quite fair to not trust the blonde but she couldn't help it. Mei, on the other hand, hadn't touched a drink unless it was in her home, even then as she thought about it she could count on one hand the number of times in the past 5 weeks when she had drunk, and every time it was usually just a single glass of wine when relaxing.

Though Mei knew Yuzu probably wouldn't let herself get that drunk, she couldn't help but worry over the blonde, after all, she had said she hadn't even noticed how much she had drunk before she fell. What if the same thing happened to her again.

"Yuzu?" Mei spoke quietly.

"Mmhh" was the response she received as Yuzu continued to potter about the apartment.

"I was wondering... are you planning on drinking tonight?" Mei had tried to make it sound casual but even she could hear the cracks and wavers in her voice, which Yuzu didn't fail to notice either as she stopped what she was doing to walk over to Mei. She looked into Meis' eyes, seeing that they were glazed over in a layer of water, Yuzu instantly knew what she was getting at.

"A little bit, but nothing overboard, and you? I don't think I have seen you drink anything since the accident, you don't have to stay sober to keep eye on me ya know, I will watch what I'm doing tonight." Yuzu knew why Mei hadn't drunk when they went out, she was painfully aware that she was being babysat every time she left the house, however she knew it was just because Mei cared and had decided not to say anything.

"If you want to drink that's fine I was just asking, but I think I'm just going to study tonight, I'm not really in the mood for a party, so you can entertain the guests and I will hang out in the bedroom." Yuzu wondered if Mei had planned to do that all along, but nevertheless, she just agreed with the girl as she set up the remainder of the things for tonight.

Before long people had started to arrive and for the first few guests Mei had stayed to say hello, but as the small group of people turned into a slightly larger number she had slipped away into the comfort of her room.

While she sat on her bed she could hear the music bouncing from the speakers in the living room and the noise from the crowd emitted through the walls, she had no doubt they would get a complaint.

Mei was certain that there were more than 20 people in their apartment but chose for the time being to trust the blonde, and let her have her fun. Hours passed and Mei had expected the volume of noise to have died down by now, but as the night grew longer so did the noise from their house. It wasn't too late only half eleven but Mei had said it was supposed to be a few close friends and nothing more, and most of their conjoint friends were all quite serious people who liked to be home at respectable times, of course, there was the exception when it came to some of Yuzus friends but Mei didn't mind.

As she listened there were definitely people she did not recognise, after almost another hour when the noise still didn't settle Mei had decided to go and investigate. She quickly slid into something more respectable to go out in. Quickly checking herself before she unlocked their bedroom door to step into the hall, but was halted by two falling bodies that had been leaning against the door. All three collapsed to the floor and the couple broke their kiss to see the intruder, Mei had managed to squirm out from the two bodies and urged them out of the bedroom.

"Oh the bedroom, do you want to join us perhaps?" The male of the previously kissing couple cradled Mei's cheek in his palm while the girl made no protest as she stumbled to her feet. Mei only scoffed and she pushed the two out of her room and locked the door. When she turned around she was shocked to see the entire hall was packed full of sweating bodies, Mei tried to look over the heard of people but there seemed to be no end to them, flooding into the living room and kitchen.

Irritation and frustration took over Mei, as she pushed past people looking for Yuzu, why couldn't she just do what Mei had asked? She had to go and invite half of the freekin school. Mei was already preparing the lecture she was going to give the blonde. People knocked into her every step she took, and as Mei caught slight images of the apartment she could see things moved or smashed along with the scattering of plastic cups and beer bottles. Infuriated would probably be the most fitting word to describe Mei right now.

In the minute it had taken her to walk from her room to the lounge she had gained several spills on her shirt from drunk students, her irritation only continued to grow as every little bump or push she received added to her anger. She had trusted Yuzu and this is what she got, Mei tried to keep her cool, maybe there was a reasonable explanation for all this, maybe they were uninvited guests that Yuzu hadn't planned on coming.

She eased her way around the room trying to avoid any unnecessary contact in hopes of finding Yuzu. Any composure she had quickly dissipated as she finally found her girlfriend: pushed back against the kitchen counter, lips locked with a figure Mei couldn't identify. Mei stood in shock as she watched her girlfriend being kissed by a tall, muscular guy. Mei couldn't see Yuzu's face as it was shielded by the male's back but it was undoubtedly her.

Moments later the kiss was broken and Mei noticed the blonde say something to the male, he stepped back from her slightly gestured to the room around them before leaning back into the blonde, placing a firm hand on her waist. Mei lost all control as she rapidly approached the pair, wasting no time as she tore his hand off Yuzu's waist putting some distance between the two, Mei eyed the male, he was quite attractive and looked as though he indulged in sports going by his physic. He was tall and loomed over the two of them by at least a half a foot.

"Watch where you're going," his voice was deep as he pushed Mei to the side and attempted to wrap his arm around Yuzu once again. He was countered as Mei again stepped between the two, however, this time she pushed hard against his chest making him take several steps back.

"I think you should leave, right now." Mei's voice rang with authority as she stepped towards the male, who refused to back down.

"And who the fuck are you, you impudent little bitch. Move out of my way no-," his words were cut short when Mei's small fist made contact with his cheek, he stumbled a bit but didn't fall, he regained his composure and smiled at Mei.

"I'll catch you later okay? I'm not sticking around for this," it was clear to Mei that he was speaking to Yuzu who still stood behind her as he winked before walking away. The small show had caught the attention of a few people, Mei felt she was at her breaking point, she roughly grabbed Yuzu by the arm and tugged her down the hall into their room. Once inside she slammed the door closed before releasing her grasp on the blonde.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" Mei's shouts could be heard clearly over the music, her tone frightened Yuzu as she edged back into the room.

"Mei, calm down please, its really not what you think just let me explain okay?" Yuzu tried to calm down a flushed red Mei, she knew how it looked, she didn't mean for the party to get so out of control, as she most certainly didn't plan on making out with someone.

"Calm down? You want me to calm down when my house is overflowing with wasted people and I just found you kissing a random fucking guy, really!?" Mei continued to shout, she would never normally use such crude language but she was livid. Before Yuzu could even speak Mei once again had her by the arm.

"I want you out, I want all of you out, now!" Mei practically threw Yuzu out into the hall, before locking the door. Her heart was in agony, she slid down to the floor, she felt tears well up in her eyes as she pulled her knees up to her chest sobbing uncontrollably.

She sat there unmoving for what felt like ages, she hadn't even noticed that the apartment was now almost completely silent, the music was off, there was no more intense chatting, she could hear a single person roaming around on the other side of the door. She could detect the clanking of bottles and crinkling of cans, she suspected that Yuzu was still here cleaning up the mess.

Checking her phone she realised that it was already past 2 in the morning, she lifted herself from the floor, she wanted to go to bed but she also wanted to speak to Yuzu. Mei had calmed down from her earlier anger, now she wanted to hear what the blonde had to say for herself, she was sure she probably wouldn't sleep tonight if she didn't.

Opening the door she heard the rustling immediately stop, and the sound of footsteps coming down the hall.

"Mei?" Yuzu was cautiously standing at the end of the hall, watching Mei, waiting for what she was going to say. The apartment was mostly clean now, it still smelt of alcohol and the occasional thing was out of place or beer bottle Yuzu had missed but as Mei looked around she suspected the blonde had not stopped since she forced her out of the room.

Mei looked at Yuzu's attire, her originally cream blouse was now covered in stains much like her jeans, while her hair was pulled up into a messy bun. Mei instantly felt guilty, Yuzu couldn't change or shower and had sat in those wet, alcohol covered clothes as she had locked her out of the room. She turned back into the bedroom and returned a minute later holding a set of clothes for the blonde.

"You should go and take a shower and change out of those clothes. Thanks for cleaning up most of the mess, when you get out I want to talk." That was all Mei said as she took the rubbish bag out of Yuzu's hand, replacing it with the clean clothes. Yuzu only nodded as she made her way down the hall.

The hot water felt great against her skin, she felt like she was clearing away the events of the night, she stood under the water for 10 minutes before deciding to get out. While drying herself she had realised Mei had given her a tank top and joggers, cursing at the coincidence, she put on the clothes as she inspected her arm, the bruise was quite visible. She rubbed her arm where Mei had grabbed her earlier, it wasn't really sore but the irritated skin was red and had light bruising on it.

She didn't want Mei to see it, she knew she would instantly feel bad, but at the same time, she didn't want to change clothes and give Mei any more reason to be wary or suspicious of her. Sighing she made her way down the hall, into the lounge, where she found Mei cleaning the table.

"Mei stop, you don't have to clean any of this mess up, I'll do it," Yuzu spoke softly hoping to sound apologetic, when Mei didn't stop she eased her way over to her placing her hands over Mei's in an attempt to get her to stop, the contact was clearly unwanted as Mei immediately pulled back. She stood up and inspected the blonde, her eyes going wide as she saw the arm, she reached her hand out to cress the soft skin.

"What happened to your arm?" Mei questioned her voice laced with concern as she inspected the skin, however before she could get a proper look, Yuzu tugged her arm out of her grasp, Mei looked her in the eyes, but her gaze was not met as Yuzu looked away from her.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it, now will you stop cleaning?" Yuzu tried to sound nonchalant but Mei knew her better than that.

"Yuzu don't lie to me, I've had enough of that for one night," Mei's tone was sharp as she turned Yuzu to face her. Yuzu although cautious at first, knew it would only result in more conflict if she didn't tell Mei the truth.

"You just grabbed me a little too hard earlier, it's no big deal really," although she attempted to sound relaxed, it didn't surprise her when she heard Mei gasp at the realisation of hurting her girlfriend.

"Yuzu I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you I just... I'm so, so sorry," Yuzu had expected this kind of apology from the girl but she really didn't want it, she knew she was in the wrong. She brought Mei into a tight hug, not caring for the slight resistance.

"Don't apologise, it's okay," she gave Mei a reassuring peck on her forehead before breaking the embrace.

"Now will you put down that rubbish and come and talk to me, you have to let me explain, what you saw earlier wasn't real, just let me give my side of the story before you make any rash decisions. Okay?" Yuzu pleaded as she held Mei's hand firmly, when she received a small nod from Mei she lead them both over to the couch placing Mei down before plonking down next to her.

Yuzu looked at Mei's hand, she quickly exited towards the kitchen, returning with a small ice pack. She handed it to Mei as she sat down again, gesturing to her girlfriend's hand. Mei's knuckles were slightly swollen and red from hitting the guy earlier.

"Okay so before I start, just so you know I really had planned on things staying quiet with just a few friends, I didn't want to go against you... No matter what you may think." She got another nod from Mei as she sat still clasping the cold hands between hers, she could feel the frail hands shaking slightly, it crushed Yuzu to see Mei in such a state. She could feel her trembling hands, her eyes were red-rimmed and puffy indicating that she had been crying for the past hour and worse of all, Mei wasn't looking at Yuzu, her gaze was fixed on their hands.

"Okay so you were there until about ten guests showed up before you left to go to the bedroom, I guess I'll start from there then," Yuzu gave a soft smile but her tone was serious, she knew the severity of the situation she had gotten herself into.

 ** _Flashback: several hours ago_**

"Bye Mei, see you soon, or you could stay with us and have some fun?" Yuzu tried once last time in attempting to get Mei to participate in the party, which Mei shot down quickly, she laughed lightly leaning in and giving the blonde a sweet kiss.

"No thanks, I'll see you later, have fun...but not too much," Mei smiled giving Yuzu one last kiss before heading to the bedroom. Yuzu turned to the guests while turning up the speaker slightly, there were currently only people from Yuzu and Mei's inner circle of friends here. They all happily sat, chatted and danced while several of the other guests started to trickle in.

Yuzu only noticed something was off when she saw one of her friends welcome some people she didn't know into the house, some of whom were carrying their own alcohol. Yuzu approached her friend, trying to sound as welcoming as possible but she knew her promise to Mei.

"Hey, Tyler, who are your friends?" Yuzu asked as she pointed to the group of half a dozen people who were emptying into her kitchen.

"Oh sorry, Yuzu I didn't know you didn't want us to invite other people to the party, they are just some of my friends from my design course, they are quite chill people, but I can ask them to leave if you are uncomfortable with them being here?" Tyler smiled at Yuzu, he was one of her closest friends, and Mei trusted him as well as Yuzu.

"No it's fine don't sweat it, just make sure to let me know next time and if Mei asks I knew nothing of it kay?" Yuzu gave him a cheeky grin and winked before walking back over to her original group.

Yuzu had noticed several unfamiliar faces but decided against telling them to leave, she didn't think one or two random people would make much of a difference, but as the night went on one or two slowly started to turn into a dozen, then a few dozens. Before Yuzu could blink her original 15 friends were out of sight and she had no idea who was actually in her house.

At some point, she had realised someone had turned the speakers up to the point she could see the liquid vibrate slightly in her cup, this was growing out of control but she was uncertain of how to tell a bunch of randoms to leave.

"Hey, what's your name?" Yuzu turned to see a tall dark haired guy standing next to her, his shoulders were broad and his voice deep, his chiselled face held a cheery smile as he waited for Yuzu to reply.

"Yuzu, what about you?" She had to be polite even if she wanted to tell everyone to leave, she wouldn't be rude about it, she smiled back.

"You can call me Kaz that's my nickname, what is a stunning blonde like yourself doing wondering a party alone?" he asked as he moved forward toward Yuzu, who in turn took a small step back.

"Oh actually I'm the host, but at some point, my friends left and now I don't think I know anyone here." Yuzu tried to sound casual as she sheepishly scratched the back of her neck, trying not to let her cheeks flush in embarrassment. He laughed wholeheartedly at her statement.

"Really you're the host and you don't even know who is here? That doesn't seem very wise to me," he continued to chuckle lightly at Yuzu's expense, Yuzu joined in at laughing at herself, she knew how ridiculous it sounded.

"But right now I'm currently trying to figure out a way to get all these people out of my apartment, so I should probably get going," Yuzu tried to excuse herself but he continued their conversation, as he leaned in closer.

"Awe come on, no ones doing any harm and besides you can just hang out with me for the time being, I mean until your friends show up again," he pulled Yuzu over toward him, placing one hand on her waist, the other on the crook of her neck.

"So just relax, have some fun," He leaned in quickly pressing his lips to hers, he didn't waste any time as he brushed his tongue along her lips asking for entry. Yuzu really didn't expect this, she didn't want it or did she have the time for it, lightly pushing him off her she wiped her lips with her thumb,

"Sorry but I have a girlfriend, I'm not interested in you like that, you really should leave," Yuzu tried to sound polite, but his bold actions had irritated her somewhat. He didn't seem discouraged as he extended both his arms.

"I don't see a girlfriend, so let's not worry about her," he gave a dubious smile re-placing his hand on her hip as he lent downward towards Yuzu again.

 ** _End of Flashback_**

"And well I guess you know what happens from there, see the kiss was totally unwarranted and the number of people just got out of control, I just didn't know what to do...Mei?" Yuzu had revealed the entire events of the night and not once had Mei said anything, and now that Yuzu was finished she remained sitting in silence.

"It meant nothing to you...whatsoever?" Mei looked into Yuzu's eyes for the first time since sitting down, and she could see the tears welling in the blonde's pools, she had acted so brutally towards her earlier going far enough to hurt the blonde, accident or not, now she was finding out she hadn't even given the guy permission.

"Absolutely nothing, Mei please believe me," Yuzu pleaded as tears ran down her cheeks unable to control them. Mei couldn't sit and watch as her blubbering girlfriend pleaded for her forgiveness, it was just too painful to bear. Mei feeling guilty pulled Yuzu into a soft kiss, feeling horrid for acting so brashly and for making Yuzu feel so dejected.

"Okay Yuzu I believe you, please stop crying. I'm sorry for not listening to you earlier and for hurting your arm, I would never purposely hurt you, and I know you wouldn't either, I'm sorry." At Mei's countless apologizes Yuzu felt her chest grow lighter as relief washed over her, she pulled Mei into a hurried embrace, tucking her head into the curve of Mei's neck. She laced kisses on Mei's neck relieved that Mei had believed her.

"I love you Mei, sorry for not listening to you when you said it was going to be a bad idea," Yuzu continued to hold Mei tight as she too, apologised.

"Don't be sorry, I love you too," Mei pulled away enough to give the blonde a long passionate kiss, it was simple but it conveyed thousands of feelings for the girls, hot sparks seemed to emit from the kiss as it slowly morphed into a fervent make out neither wanted to end. When it came to a finish, Yuzu enveloped her arms around Mei not ever wanting to let her go. Placing endless kisses over Mei's head Yuzu whispered countless words of love to Mei hoping to convey how much she cherished her.

The two didn't budge from the embrace, falling asleep in the others grasp.

 ** _Thanks for reading this chapter, hope you liked it, I know this one is quite long but I didn't want to have to split it into two chapters. I Think the next chapter I will skip to the summer break, looking forward to it :)._**


	8. Left Disappointed

_**Summer break is finally here for the girls, and Mei has planned surprise date for Yuzu. Hope you enjoy.**_

* * *

Yuzu slumped her bag down as soon as she entered the apartment, striding in and spreading her arms as she turned and let herself flop down onto the couch with a thud and an exasperated sigh.

"Ahhh, finally summer break is here. I can't wait to sleep in, not study and not worry about classes," Yuzu exclaimed as she kicked her feet at the end of the sofa, squealing with excitement, Mei walked up and smiled at her giggling girlfriend.

"Don't leave your stuff dumped at the front door," Mei smiled affectionately at Yuzu as she walked past plonking the heavy bag of books down on Yuzu's exposed abdomen, the relaxed limbs all contracted as she wheezed at the sudden impact on her stomach. Yuzu quickly pushed the bag off her and sat up to glare at Mei, she was met with a warm smile from her observing girlfriend, Yuzu broke out into a grin as Mei made her way towards the sitting blonde. Bending over the couch, she trailed her fingers through the blonde locks, gently leaning in for a sweet kiss.

Mei smirked against the ongoing kiss, Yuzu broke the contact and looked at her adoring girlfriend, Mei's smile was enough to melt her heart and right now as Mei smiled down at her, her eyes full of love and content as she smiled against Yuzu, she was sure that hers was liquefying. Mei bent down bringing the blonde into another kiss and Yuzu laced her arms around Mei's back.

Yuzu effortlessly kicked her bag off the sofa as she briefly stopped the kiss and dragged Mei over the back of the couch on top of her, as she let herself fall back on to the couch while Mei now straddled her hips, Yuzu with her hands still around Mei's back pulled her down for another kiss.

Kissing in-between laughs and smiles Mei quickly got over her lover's humorous action as she slowly lowered herself onto the hot blonde, deepening the lascivious kiss. Mei ran her hands under the loose checkered shirt as she slowly started to grind her hips into the blonde.

Yuzu eagerly complied as she felt Mei rub against her, grabbing the firm of Mei's backside squeezing it before gliding over the jeans and slipping under her shirt, Yuzu's fingers making their way along the flat stomach.

Mei moaned between and during kisses as Yuzu pried the shirt from her girlfriend: exposing the clear snow white skin. Yuzu grinned at the sight of the slight bite markings that covered Mei's lower neck, leading down to her chest. Yuzu's hands quickly reached the soft breasts and slowly started to kneed the smooth flesh while continuing their heated kiss, it took moments for her to expose the hard pink bulbs, rolling them between her fingers, gently pulling occasionally.

"Yuzu...Mhn...Y-yes" Mei ground her hips into the blondes as she tried to stimulate herself more, Yuzu released Mei's lips as she moved to plant kisses over her jaw, ear and neck.

"I hope you don't have any plans, cuz I think we're going to be here a while." Yuzu said briefly, giving her a mischievous grin before returning to suck on the already bruised neck. The words ran through Mei's thoughts, she tried to remember why that statement rang a bell while attempting to not focus on the pleasure the blonde was currently giving her, Yuzu...Plans, the phrase shot through Mei's mind as she abruptly sat up: stopping her hips and Yuzu's advances. She grabbed her shirt from beside Yuzu's head, immediately putting it back on.

"What's wrong?" Yuzu had irritation written all over her face as she tried to sound concerned for the girl. Mei smiled down to Yuzu who had a confused expression on her face.

"Nothing's wrong, I just remembered I have something important I need to do, and I most certainly won't have time if we continue," Mei smirked down at Yuzu who was now sitting up with her arms around Mei's waist looking up at her. Yuzu lent in kissing Mei swiftly on the lips ere lingered them down her neck, her hand moved to cress Mei's cheek, her fingers lightly brushing the rim of her ear.

"Are you sure it can't wait, we were going to have so much fun?" Yuzu didn't stop as she felt Mei tilt her head away giving her further access, she smiled as she once again slipped a hand under Mei's shirt, however, Mei was quick to recover from Yuzu's dirty tricks, pulling herself from Yuzu's grasp and stood smiling down at the pouting blonde.

"Don't worry we can continue this later," Mei confessed as she gave Yuzu one last kiss before walking away towards their room, leaving an excited and disappointed Yuzu alone.

* * *

 _ **Hey thanks for reading, I know this chapter is really quite short, I didn't want to write the second part in the same chapter so I'm splitting it into 2, heads up that the next one will probably be slightly shorter as well, hope you don't mind.**_

 _ **For those of you who noticed I took chapter nine down as I wanted to add a lot more to it after it was posted, instead of splitting it into chapters 9 and 10 I decided just to make it one long chapter.**_

 _ **Anyways thanks hope you liked it. :)**_


	9. A Fun Date or Troubles in Paradise?

Yuzu awoke to the feeling of fingers running through her hair, she squinted as she opened her eyes letting the harsh sun rays burn her still tired eyes, she glanced at the figure beside her. Mei was happily sitting with one arm around Yuzu's shoulders playing with her hair; the other lay across her waist making small circular patterns on her stomach. Yuzu noticed Mei was humming to herself as she played with her hair obviously unaware the blonde was awake. Yuzu shuffled in Mei's hold turning on her side to face Mei, Mei's eyes' snapped open at the sudden movements, her humming immediately stopped and she was greeted with a light peck from her lover.

"I was enjoying that, why'd you stop?" Yuzu said wearily as she nuzzled closer to Mei, who continued to twirl her hair and glide her fingers over Yuzu's waist.

"Sorry, I didn't know you where awake," Mei apologized while leaning down and giving Yuzu's forehead a lingering kiss. The blonde smiled, raising her hand to cress Mei's slightly rosy cheeks,

"Don't be embarrassed, I liked listening to you hum it was relaxing, you should do it more often," Yuzu said while tracing her thumb over Mei's soft lips, Mei moved her hand from the older girls waist taking Yuzu's hand from her face into her own hand, and giving each knuckle a tender kiss,

"Maybe, if you want, though I can't guarantee I'll be any good," Mei gave a small chuckled as she gave the knuckles one last kiss before tucking the hand in the cress of her neck, leaning into it as she lay down on the pillow, still smiling at Yuzu. Mei looked into the emerald pools, they seemed like they were neverending, she could look into the bright orbs all day and still find a new attribute to gush over. She felt they were all-consuming, she always found it near impossible to drag her sights away from the deep green eyes. This morning was no different as she once again was lost in the green centres, happily lost in thought.

"You're in an awfully good mood today, what's up?" Yuzu didn't mind the affectionate wake-up, in fact, she would love to wake up like this every day, instead of being dragged out of bed by a usually annoyed raven-haired girl. Mei spoke quietly, her smile seeming to widen thinking about why she was so happy today.

"Well, I made some plans for the two of us today and I think you will really like it," Mei said to the enthusiastic blonde, who was now sitting up in the bed looking down at Mei. "Ooo, where are we going?" Yuzu clapped her hands together with excitement, as she eagerly awaited a response from Mei.

"It's a surprise, why do you think I've not told you till now? You are going to have to wait till we get there." Mei joined Yuzu in sitting up as she took the blonde's face in her hands and kissed her deeply, though she quickly pulled back from the kiss and gave Yuzu a displeased look.

"Before we go anywhere you need to go and brush your teeth, whatever you've had is absolutely disgusting," Yuzu smiled instantly she knew exactly what Mei was talking about, she leaned in quickly kissing Mei again pinning her down on the mattress, laughing as Mei tried to wriggle out of her grip. She soon let go and slid off the bed and a still giggling Mei followed.

After a shower and brushing her teeth Yuzu stood in front of her wardrobe unsure of what to put on, Mei wouldn't tell her what they were doing so how was she supposed to plan an outfit accordingly. She thought it best to go with something casual but still smart, laying out a white blouse, skirt and converse she looked at it still contemplating her decision. Mei walked in and seeing the clothes on the bed, chuckled slightly,

"Don't wear that, trust me it won't work," Mei smiled, seemingly amused at the thought of the blonde doing the actions of their date in a skirt and blouse, Yuzu put her hand on her hip and puffed her cheeks out, "Well how am I supposed to know what to wear when you won't even give me a hint?" Yuzu pouted as she dramatically sat down on the bed. Mei ignored the sulking girl and approached her wardrobe, trying to overlook how unorganized it was, she eventually presented two pieces of clothing and handed them to Yuzu.

"Really? What are we going to do in these, they seem a little too casual don't you think?" Yuzu said as she looked at the pink tank top and dark blue sports leggins Mei had given her. Mei just shook her head as she too got herself out something similar and started getting changed. Mei put her hair up in a ponytail while she still waited for Yuzu to get dressed.

"C'mon Yuzu, if you don't hurry up we are going to be late, just put them on and put your hair into a bun or something. We have to go." Mei said as she pointed to the clock. Without further complaint, Yuzu got changed and put her hair in a high messy bun, and went over to do her make up. Although she didn't wear nearly as much makeup as she did when she was in high school, she still liked to wear the basics when leaving the house. And yet just as she was about to sit down at her desk, Mei had taken her by the arm and pulled her up gently from her seat, smiling kindly at Yuzu, running her hand over the blond's cheek.

"Nope, no makeup today. Not that you need it anyway, you are a natural beauty," Mei's cheeks blushed slightly at the statement but she didn't mind, she meant what she said.

Yuzu reluctantly moved away from her table and into the kitchen where Mei had already prepared breakfast. And before long Yuzu found herself walking down the street holding Mei's hand, having completely no idea where she was being taken.

"C'mon Mei, how long are you gonna make me wait?" Yuzu questioned as she tugged on Mei's hand, Mei just smiled in response and pointed towards a building at the end of the street,

"We're here, so stop complaining already," Yuzu instantly stopped and turned in the direction Mei was pointing, Mei heard a slight gasp before Yuzu turned to her again,

"You brought us to a dance studio?" Yuzu looked at Mei in confusion, Mei never danced at least not that she showed Yuzu.

"I thought it would be a fun date that wasn't dinner and a movie, it's a two-hour dance class. What do you think?" Mei asked Yuzu who wore a bright smile at her girlfriend's words.

Yuzu was usually the one to think of spontaneous dates or days out for the two, while whenever it was Mei's turn to plan a date it usually consisted of a walk, movie and dinner. Which neither of them minded but Mei thought she should do something different, something fun. And seeing Yuzu grinning in front of her gave Mei a huge amount of relief, Yuzu practically jumped in the direction of the studio as Mei was dragged along behind her.

"Hey slow down Yuzu, you're going to bump into someone," Mei said which done nothing to slow down the older girl's pace as she drew nearer the building. After being directed to the correct hall, they were met with half a dozen other couples, a grinning Yuzu skipped to a space on the further end of the hall as she waited for Mei to follow her.

"Thanks for doing this, it's going to be so much fun," Yuzu said once again as she kissed Mei on the cheek, still over-excited by the events of the date. Before long the instructor came into the room and began the class. After several warm-up stretches, he wasted no time in picking someone from the crowd and showing the first example.

Now 20 minutes into the lesson Mei and Yuzu were in the middle of a failing attempt at the tango, Mei growing discouraged at her inability to follow simple steps; Yuzu laughing happily. Once again putting the wrong foot forward and stopping the progression of the dance, Mei let out a frustrated sigh as she grit her teeth and stepped back from Yuzu.

"Mei, come on just have fun it doesn't matter, see everyone is just letting loose, C'mon try again and just relax." Yuzu said with a cheery voice as she put her hand out waiting for Mei to take it again. Although this was their first dance class Yuzu had picked up the technique relatively fast, Mei, on the other hand, was having a much harder time with it which wasn't something the black haired girl particularly enjoyed. Yuzu could tell she was getting annoyed at getting it wrong and was doing her best to stay positive, but was finding it rather hard not to let a chuckle loose every now and again.

Mei took Yuzu's hand and placed her other on the older girls shoulder while Yuzu put her's on Mei's waist, "Okay, back with your right foot first, then your left then once again with your right, then just take a side step with your left foot and slowly drag your right to meet it okay?" Yuzu explained again and Mei nodded stepping backwards with her right foot as Yuzu followed her movements and stepped forwards. Several steps later and Mei was slowly dragging her foot across the floor, Yuzu smiled as she twirled Mei under her arm, "See you can totally do it," she giggled as she brought Mei in for a quick kiss.

"Good work you two, now how about we try and put a turn in to continue the dance?" the instructor said with a smile, Mei immediately let go off Yuzu blushing, she didn't know she was being watched. Yuzu just laughed and nodded, he extended his hand to Yuzu as it was clear to him that she was the stronger dancer.

"Okay if you just follow my lead, and then you can show this to your partner," Yuzu placed her hand on his shoulder as he put one on her waist and started to lead Yuzu into the dance, when they got to the end of what Yuzu had learnt so far, he gently turned 90 degrees and started again, every time the 8 steps came to an end he would gently turn with Yuzu and start again.

When he broke the dance he gestured for Mei to take his place and waited for them to get ready. He counted the beats as they danced to his voice and Yuzu happily lead Mei across the floor, Yuzu was smiling at Mei who was concentrating hard on her feet.

"Okay very good, but I'm going to make one small change," when he said that Mei instinctively stepped back to allow himself to demonstrate again, however, he only told her to take the starting position with Yuzu again. "You need to be closer, feel one another, be one, there shouldn't be all this space," he gestured to the inches of space between Mei and Yuzu, stepping forwards he urged Mei to move closer to Yuzu so they were flush against each other, he also lifted Mei's arm slightly, so it was resting more comfortably atop Yuzu's shoulder.

"Okay try again and Miss, I want you too look at your partner and forget about your feet, let her lead and follow what she does," Mei although thought it would only make her mess up, stayed close to Yuzu and looked at her. Yuzu beamed at her with a slight tinge to her cheeks at their close proximity and started to lead Mei to the sound of the instructors counting.

As Mei let her girlfriend lead her across the floor she found her body naturally following Yuzu's and she once again found herself lost in Yuzu's emerald orbs, they both smiled warmly looking into the eyes of the other. Mei was once again captivated by those bright, smiling eyes and she soon found herself forgetting everything else in the room, all she could feel was Yuzu against her, swiftly moving over the floor. "Just go with this okay?" she heard Yuzu say, and she nodded as she continued to let her lead. Mei felt Yuzu move away slightly as she raised their clasped hands and gently let Mei twirl once under her arm, before bringing her back flush against her body.

Yuzu turned their position quickly once more before she graciously let her leg stretch out behind her and dipped Mei over her thigh, careful to support her weight, and she was surprised to see Mei bend one of her legs up against her as she leaned against Yuzu. The whole time Mei never once broke eye contact with Yuzu as she smiled up at the beaming blonde, who leaned down and captured her lips in a soft kiss before gently pulling Mei back to her feet. Yuzu giggled slightly as she continued to hold Mei close, her heart was racing and she was sure that Mei could feel it too.

They were quickly brought out of their daze at the loud applause, they both moved apart to see that all the other dancers had stopped to watch them dance, and were now clapping at the little show. The instructor smiled happily at the two as he too applauded. Both the girls blushed furiously at the realisation, as people soon returned back to their own dancing.

"See? You have to trust completely in your partner," the man smiled and bowed as he walked away leaving the two alone again. Mei could still feel her heart beating from the intimacy, "Why did you do that, what if you had dropped me?" Mei questioned and although she tried to protest she was smiling happily in Yuzu's grasp, Yuzu just smiled and gave her another kiss, "But I didn't," she laughed as they continued their dance.

Hours later Yuzu and Mei were leaving the studio, both rather exhausted from the two hours of dancing, "What do you want to do now? I didn't really have anything planned after this, I didn't know what you would be up for," Mei smiled as she took Yuzu's hand and lead her towards the side of the pavement.

"Well that was super fun but it really tired me out, how about we just go to a cafe and get some lunch?" Mei nodded as they headed for their favourite cafe that was about a 10-minute walk from the studio. When they reached the cafe they both sat down heavily at the booth, relieved to have a seat and give their legs a break, ordering their food they both sat in comfortable conversation.

Mei was proud that her date had gone so well, she had half expected it to go completely wrong or that Yuzu would hate dancing, which given the blondes perky personality would be far-fetched but it was still something she had considered and now that they both sat peacefully chatting at the cafe Mei could say that her idea had gone pretty well. She hadn't expected Yuzu to be so good at dancing, as throughout the practice Yuzu continued to excel at it but that didn't stop Mei from enjoying it as Yuzu relentlessly attempted to teach her the simple steps.

When the food finally arrived it was like heaven to the two, not long after they were both finished and Yuzu was resting against Mei's shoulder as she slurped on her drink. "So do you want to go home now or we could stay out and do something? I mean it's only about two o'clock, loads of places are still open." Mei asked. Yuzu eagerly sat up declaring that she wanted to stay out, and pulled Mei away from the table and out into the streets.

The two soon found themselves back in their normal routine as they walked around the mall, entering random shops as they passed the time, after walking for hours the two headed home.

Yuzu flopped down onto the couch when she got in, sighing contently as she wriggled into the soft material. Mei watched amused as she walked into the kitchen and started to prepare dinner, Yuzu sat up when she heard Mei pottering about in the kitchen, "Mei don't you want to come and sit down, you must be exhausted?" Yuzu asked as she leaned over the couch on her elbows watching as her girlfriend continued to prep.

"Yes I would love to do that, but we have to eat and you don't seem to want to cook," Mei said, and although she didn't smile Yuzu could tell by the tone of her voice she was teasing the older girl. Yuzu smiled as she got off the couch and walked over to Mei, "I'll help, what are you making?" Mei smiled at Yuzu as she handed her the knife and pointed to the pile of vegetables, soon they were both again sitting down eating.

"Thanks again for today, it was really fun we should do stuff like that more often, I love learning new things especially if it's with you," Yuzu grinned at Mei who smiled at her comment, "Yeah it was fun. If you wanted to do something like that again, I saw a flyer for music lessons when I was booking the dance one, I don't have a clue how to play anything but I'm sure we could learn together" Mei said as she continued to eat, she looked at Yuzu who didn't reply and had stopped eating her food, Mei looked at her concerned, did she say something wrong? "I mean we don't have to it was just a thought," Mei tried to recover from her mistake even if she didn't know what it was.

"Yeah... we can do that if you want... maybe sometime next week. There is no rush we have the whole summer break." It was like Yuzu had flicked an internal switch as her expression changed from discomfort to cheery in a matter of split seconds. "Are you okay?" Mei asked clearly worried by her girlfriends out of character actions. Yuzu just smiled and nodded, "Of course," Mei decided to leave it, maybe she had just imagined that reaction, she seemed normal enough now.

Yuzu cleaned up after dinner, Mei had offered to help but she insisted on doing it herself, telling Mei to go and choose a movie in the bedroom and set up the bed. Which she complied to as she went through and set the bed with pillows and started up the T.V and started flicking through the movies. In the time Mei had chosen a movie, went for a shower and was currently changing into some pyjamas Yuzu was still cleaning up the kitchen, she only had a couple of plates and cups to wash it shouldn't be taking her this long.

Mei, once she was dressed made her way to the kitchen where she found Yuzu cleaning the stove, the kitchen had been completely cleaned, it was practically sparkling. Yuzu wasn't a dirty person but she also wasn't one to thoroughly clean something, and at the moment she was scrubbing the stove top with all her strength. Something was definitely wrong.

"Yuzu, what are you doing?" Mei asked her voice soft and comforting, Yuzu's head shot around at the sound of her voice, "Isn't it obvious? I'm cleaning up just like I said I would, is the movie ready? If it is I'll be through in two minutes, I'll finish up here, jump in the shower and then we can watch it okay." Yuzu rambled as she wiped the last of the stove and cleaned her sponge, before jogging to the bedroom, grabbing some clothes going straight into the bathroom.

Mei stood unsure of what to do, she knew the blonde she knew there was something wrong, but in all their years together Yuzu had always told her when something was bothering her, whether it was something as small as the shopping or as big as Mei doing something that had upset her she always spoke her feelings. So why was she avoiding this topic or was there even anything wrong at all? Mei couldn't think of anything she had said to make Yuzu mad or upset. She hadn't snapped at her all day, which she usually would have by now so it wasn't that, she hadn't yelled at her nor had she back chatted her, so it wasn't something she had done. Mei was sure of that, but then what was making Yuzu act like this?

Mei went back to the bedroom and got into bed waiting for Yuzu to get out the shower, Mei knew she would just have to wait and ask the blonde and hope that she wanted to talk about it. 20 minutes had gone by when Yuzu finally came into the bedroom in fresh clothes, she smiled at Mei as she walked over to the bed crawling over the other girl to get to her side. "Sorry I took so long," Mei sat up and turned Yuzu's face to her own gasping when she saw the blondes bloodshot red eyes, "Yuzu what happened?" Mei's voice was laced in worry as she looked over Yuzu's face. Yuzu laughed, pulling Meis hand away and kissing the back of her hand lightly.

"Don't worry, I was distracted and accidentally got some shampoo in my eyes, I rinsed them with water, so everything is fine. Let's just watch the movie or I'm gonna fall asleep before it even starts." Yuzu said playfully snuggling up to Mei under the covers. Mei played the movie but her attention was not on the screen but the blonde lying against her, she was sure that Yuzu had been crying and was lying about it, but that was only suspicion. She had no way to prove it plus the blonde was smiling happily cuddled up with her. After contemplating whether or not to bring it up she finally decided to ask the blonde,

"Yuzu?" Her voice was quiet but she got no response, she looked down to find that Yuzu was fast asleep. Mei smiled at her peaceful face and turned off the movie, taking the blonde fully in her grasp as she lay down next to her. Maybe she was over exaggerating things, Yuzu said she was fine and was acting like normal so Mei should too. Mei gave the sleeping blonde a kiss on the forehead before closing her own eyes and similarly falling into a deep sleep.

Mei woke the next again morning with warm spots of sun hitting the bed through the cracks in the blinds, sitting up and wiping her eyes Mei looked over to see the bed was empty, glancing at the clock it was only just past seven so why was Yuzu up? Groggily getting out of bed the apartment was completely silent as she walked down the hall, making a quick pit stop along the way she got herself to the lounge where there was still no sign of Yuzu. Mei beginning to get a little worried walked briskly towards the kitchen, she had a perfect view of the kitchen from the lounge but she needed to confirm the blonde wasn't in there, walking around the small island she came up empty-handed.

"Yuzu?" Mei raised her voice enough so if the blonde was in the vicinity she would hear her, but alas no response came and by this point, Mei was fully awake. With one room left in the apartment; the study, Mei made her way down the hall again, Yuzu hardly ever went in the study, it wasn't a set rule that she wasn't allowed to go in but Yuzu had said when Mei questioned her about it, 'I don't really like the vibes it gives off, makes me feel like in one of Gramps offices again'. Which was true, Mei had designed it after all; the walls were lined with ceiling-high bookcases and a large burgundy desk sat at the back of the room, though Mei had splattered the walls in photos of the two which gave it a slightly more personal feeling.

Mei liked to use this room when she really needed to focus or had family business to attend to, the room was professional and Mei had found it easiest to work in these 'conditions', and Yuzu usually never bothered her when she went into the study knowing it was because she had to concentrate. Mei had found Yuzu in the study on only two occasions; once Yuzu and Mei had had an argument and when Mei had come to apologise Yuzu was sitting in the swivel chair sulking, the other when Yuzu had called her grandfather to tell him he was giving Mei too much work and that she couldn't focus properly on her course because of the stress he was putting on her. And although Mei had denied this at the time her grandfather seemed to take to Yuzu's words and drastically lessened her workload, which she was thankful for, but that was more than 8 months ago and Mei hadn't found Yuzu in the study since she thought it very unlikely that she would be in here.

When she reached the door it was already open a crack, which confirmed that Yuzu was either in there or had been earlier as the door was kept closed. Mei pushed the door open and peered into the room, "Yuzu are you in here?", Mei asked her voice unconvinced as the room was completely silent, the only thing out of place was her chair that was swivelled towards the window instead of the door. Sighing Mei stepped in to turn her chair the right way, it wasn't like Yuzu not to answer her if she was in the apartment or to leave this early without telling her or leaving a note, Mei wasn't sure whether to be annoyed or worried. As she reached the chair she was surprised to find Yuzu sitting in it; knees pulled up to her chest her arms wrapped around them, her head rested against the back of the chair, her eyes shut.

"Yuzu?" Mei's voice was sterner now, Yuzu had ignored her and when she still got no reply she inspected the blonde closer to find that she had earbuds in, one of her hands tightly gripping her phone. Mei looked closer at Yuzu's face to find that her cheeks had tear stains on them, her eyes slightly puffy. It made sense to Mei that Yuzu would come here if she was upset and didn't want Mei to find her, after all, she had only ever come in here when she was mad so Mei would never think to look for her in here.

Mei was very worried now, Yuzu had come to the place she liked least in the house to cry herself to sleep at seven in the morning in hopes that Mei wouldn't find her. She thought about waking the blonde but thought it would only make her distance herself more, instead, she quietly exited the room and went back to the kitchen. Making herself a coffee she went back to the lounge and turned on the television to a show she wasn't really interested in, she sat for at least two episodes of the show, before getting her laptop out and doing the small amount of family paperwork she had been emailed. When she was finished it was already past 10, surely Yuzu wasn't still asleep? She had fallen asleep quite early last night but fair enough Mei didn't know what time she had left her to go to the study. Packing up her stuff she, for the third time today, made her way down the hall and peeked inside the study this time, however, the chair was lightly swaying from side to side.

"Yuzu?" Mei spoke calmly and as she suspected she got no response from the blonde as she most likely still had her earphones in, Mei once again went to leave when she heard a light almost inaudible sob come from the room. Mei was sure she felt her heart break at the sound, Yuzu didn't want her help here so who was she to barge in and stick her nose into her business if Yuzu wasn't comfortable talking about it?

Mei felt useless but refused to force the blonde into talking to her, Yuzu could come to her if she wanted to and she had made it clear to Mei that she wanted to be alone right now, and as hard as that was for Mei to do she didn't have a choice. She left the room again letting out a weary breath her chest heavy and tight, all she could do was wait but at the minute, time felt like it had decreased down to the slowest possible rate. Mei couldn't sit and listen to her lover's cries, instead, she got dress and wrote a short note in the kitchen, explaining she was going out to get some shopping. The cupboards were almost completely stocked and they had plenty of food in the fridge but Mei needed an excuse to get out of the house.

Mei left quickly and began making her way to the store, upon entering she really didn't know what she was going to buy and found herself in the sweet section of the store. Mei herself like sweet foods but not nearly as much as her girlfriend, maybe she should buy her some comfort food? She needed to get at least something from the store, she ended up graciously filling her basket up with cakes, puddings and candies she knew the other girl enjoyed. She was aware that if Yuzu ate all this she had a good chance of being sick but Mei thought it was good for her to have options.

After purchasing her mountain of items she had only been gone for 45 minutes, it would only take her 15 minutes to walk back and she wasn't sure if the blonde would have calmed down. Mei sat down outside on a nearby bench deciding to send the blonde a quick message to see if she was okay. 'Morning Yuzu, I didn't see you before I left are you okay? Love you x',

Mei knew it was wrong to lie to the girl but thought it best to let Yuzu come to her when she was ready. She instantly got a text back from the blonde, 'Hey babe, yeah I'm completely fine why wouldn't I be? When are you coming back? I miss you xxx:)' Mei smiled at the text at least she wanted Mei to be there whether she was going to tell her what was going on or not. Shooting back a quick text saying she would be back soon, Mei got to her feet and briskly walked home.

"I'm home," Mei said as she walked through the front door, where she was met with a smiling Yuzu fully dressed and her eyes no longer puffy or red. Yuzu stepped close to Mei and placed a big wet kiss on her cheek, "Why'd you go to the store I could have sworn we bought everything we needed a couple days ago? And you didn't even tell me you where leaving?" Yuzu said as she puffed up her cheeks in a mock offence which Mei couldn't help but smile at.

"I bought you a bunch of sweets," Mei said as she held open the bag of deserts and watched as Yuzu drooled over the contents of the bag, Yuzu stopped her adoration as she looked sceptically up at Mei giving a short "Why?" while simultaneously taking the bag to the kitchen and placing the items on the counter. Mei frowned at the remembrance of why she had left the house in the first place, moving behind Yuzu she wrapped both her arms around the older girls waist holding her tightly as she nuzzled into the back of her neck.

"Do I need a reason to want to buy you stuff?" Mei asked as she placed a warm kiss on Yuzu's neck, making the girl shudder at the contact. "I guess not," Yuzu said as she turned around to face Mei her eyes now shining brightly, Mei could find no trace of her earlier breakdown as if it had never happened. Yuzu was as lively and bubbly as she normally would have been, but Mei still didn't understand why Yuzu was so upset or why she continued to lie about it, Mei furrowed her brow and could not deny it when Yuzu called her out on it.

"Mei what's wrong, you look annoyed?" Yuzu said as she pushed herself out of Mei's hold to get a better look at the younger girl, Mei couldn't lie or hide her concern any longer, she really wanted Yuzu to come to her of her own will, but she refused to let herself be blindly lied to. Especially if she knew it was making the blonde leave their room in the middle of the night and actually cry herself to sleep.

"Why were you in the study this morning?" Mei asked ignoring Yuzu's question as she looked straight into her eyes; that widened at the statement, she heard a small gulp come from Yuzu as the blonde broke eye contact and mumbled something before speaking up.

"Oh, I err didn't sleep well last night, so I went to the study to listen to some music I didn't want to disturb you," Yuzu gave a half-assed smile at Mei who still eyed her sceptically. "If that was true why didn't you just go to the lounge? You said you didn't like going into that room, so why would you choose to go in there?" Mei held her argument as she narrowed her eyes on the blonde, she wasn't lying; when Mei had seen her at seven the girl was sound asleep, but it was clear to Mei that she was hiding parts of her story. Yuzu looked taken aback at Mei's persistence,

"Am I not allowed to go in there?" Yuzu shot back, her voice had a sting to it that she regretted as soon as she heard it, she saw Mei wince slightly at her tone before she spoke, "I never once said you weren't allowed in that room, this is _our_ apartment you can go where ever you please within it, but why would you go into the room that makes you feel.. I dunno tense? When you could have just stayed in bed or went to the lounge?" Mei really didn't want an argument she knew Yuzu hadn't meant the attitude in her voice, but she had dodged Mei's question.

Yuzu didn't actually know why she had chosen to go into the study, and Mei was right; it was her least favourite part of the house, but she had found some unknown source of comfort in the darkroom in the early hours of the morning. She didn't know why and couldn't put it into words, but Mei was really pushing her, more than Yuzu would have liked. Yuzu had thought Mei hadn't seen her before she left; that's what Mei had told her, why would Mei lie about that? Yuzu quickly realised that Mei had probably found her crying or heard her one of the two, and was trying to get an explanation from her.

Yuzu just needed a moment this morning, Mei's topic the previous night had brought up past memories that weren't very pleasant for her. Now after crying for several hours, she was fine, she had gotten past it and just wanted to spend time with Mei. Yuzu didn't really want to talk about it, what she was upset about had happened over a decade ago and shouldn't still be making her sad, but Yuzu always found music to be her soft spot on the subject and could never suppress her feelings. She had gotten kind of used to the process over the years, the thought or mention of classical music or lessons would always bring a tear to her eyes and she would be flooded with the sentiments of the past. After letting her feelings run rampant for a day or so she would feel better, content almost. Mei bringing it up again wasn't something Yuzu particularly wanted, Yuzu thought her little outbursts were irrational and never liked to share her worries with anyone, and that included Mei.

"I dunno Mei, I was tired and wasn't really paying attention. I just wanted to fall asleep and what can I say your chair is pretty comfy," trying to lighten the mood Yuzu cupped Mei's face in her hand and gave the interrogator a peck on the lips, smiling she said, "Just leave it okay Mei?" Mei was a little taken aback by the warning stare Yuzu gave her and narrowed her eyes again, why was Yuzu being so difficult? Mei moved out of Yuzu's grasp; letting the blonde's hands fall back to her sides.

"Fine, whatever you want," answered Mei as she turned from her girlfriend and started packing the deserts into the fridge in an attempt to escape the blonde without storming away. Mei heard Yuzu give a long sigh and detected a light thud, "Don't be like that Mei, I was tired and wanted a quiet place where no one would disturb me while I listened to my music. You have no reason to be giving me the cold shoulder, so stop it and just let it go. I'm not in the mood to be having any petty arguments." Yuzu, although she had started off light, towards the end of her statement she was using a rather cold and accusing voice. Mei quickly drew her attention away from the fridge at her words and looked at Yuzu who was now sitting on the countertop lightly swinging her legs.

"Excuse me? Do I have no reason? Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you are lying through your teeth, refusing to tell me what's bothering you and then telling me I don't have a reason to be concerned or upset about it? I let it go last night when you said you were fine but again you lied to me today, why can't you just let me know what's making you upset?!" Mei's voice was unintentionally raising with every sentence, and by the end of it, she was almost shouting as she slammed the fridge door shut. Yuzu groaned this was the exact opposite of how she had wanted this conversation to go, it was irrelevant to Mei, it didn't concern her so why was she so insistent on knowing, why couldn't she just let the blonde be?

"Mei it has nothing to do with you, so why can't you just get out of my damn business and leave it alone!" Yuzu had spoken before she had time to think about her words and instantly wished she didn't have such a big mouth. Mei's eyes immediately started watering at the statement and she couldn't stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks, Yuzu quickly got off the counter and tried to approach Mei. "Mei, wait please don't cry. I didn't mean that I just spoke without thinking...Mei?" Yuzu tried to touch Mei but was brushed off as Mei pushed past her and walked into the hall. Yuzu hurried after her, she knew they couldn't leave the conversation like this, taking Mei by the arm she attempted to turn Mei around to face her, "Mei don't walk away, we need to talk, please I'm sorry." Yuzu was practically begging Mei to stop, which she eventually did.

"You told me to stay out of your business so I am, next time I find you bawling your eyes out about something I'll make sure not to ask as It's evident that you don't want my help or comfort." Mei's words cut Yuzu like a knife, 'so she did find me crying...shit' Yuzu thought, she didn't have any escape root here. Stepping in front of Mei Yuzu placed her hands on Mei's shoulders and spoke softly hoping to sound apologetic, "I do want your comfort Mei, why do you think I asked you to come back to the house? I'm really sorry for what I said I didn't think about what I was saying and it came out completely wrong," Yuzu paused as she wiped a tear from Mei's cheek with her thumb, and was glad when the younger girl allowed her the touch.

"You and me... we come together, my business is your business, we are a couple and I'd trust you with my life. I love confiding in you as you always know just the right thing to say to make me smile, but this...'issue' is something that I've handled since I was small, I know how to deal with it and I like to do it alone. I love you more than anything in the world and I know you know that, but this is something I handle by myself. I'm sorry, but it's always been this way so I really need you to just let it go, continuing to pry will only worsen the situation. I have a system if that's what you would call it, and it works so I am going to continue using it, and I know you want to help but the thing I want you to do most is to just forget about it, please Mei ignore what I said in the kitchen and just listen to what I'm telling you now; I love you, so so much and I want you, no, I need you to be part of my life, to support me with my struggles and help me get over all the hurdles to come in our life together. But just this time I need you to trust me and believe that I can handle this by myself,"

Yuzu looked into Mei's still watering eyes, they were full of hurt and pain even after Yuzu had pored her heart out, "Mei?" Yuzu asked her again her voice cracking as she spoke the single word, It hurt Yuzu more than Mei knew to exclude Mei from her worries, but Yuzu felt this was something she should experience by herself, as she waited for Mei to reply she could feel her own tears prickling at her eyes. However before they could spill over Mei had rushed into Yuzu's arms, tightly clinging around her neck, as she sobbed into her shoulder. Yuzu hugged her back as tight as she could, swaying her back and forwards as she moved her hands in circular patterns on her back while making 'shhhh' sounds to try and calm her.

"I'm s-sorry Yuzu," She didn't say anything else as she drew herself further into the blonde tucking her face in the crook of Yuzu's neck, tears still streaming. Yuzu stood there holding Mei until she had stopped crying, even then Mei didn't seem to want to let her go as she still clung to Yuzu's neck. Yuzu felt horrid for making Mei cry so much, but there was nothing to be done, if the day ever came where Yuzu felt comfortable sharing her sorrow with Mei then she would happily share her grief but until that day came, Yuzu needed Mei to accept that even if she didn't know the cause she could still comfort her.

"You okay?" Yuzu asked as she stroked the long black hair soothingly. Mei gave a 'mhmm' and nodded silently, Yuzu pulled away from the embrace enough to take Mei's now puffy face in the palm of her hands, she looked into her eyes once again searching for any tinge of uncertainty, when she found none in the amethyst orbs Yuzu leaned in and placed a long tender kiss on Mei's lips. "Thank you for understanding, I love you so much," Yuzu's voice rang with gratitude and Mei couldn't help but give the blonde a small smile.

Mei nodded again, if Yuzu felt she needed to face this concern alone there was nothing Mei could do or wanted to do, to force the blonde to tell her, instead she would have to support her from the side and hope that one day Yuzu would be ready to let her in. Yuzu wiped Mei's eyes a final time before giving her another kiss, "How about we go and eat all those desserts you bought?" Yuzu's voice was almost back to its originally cheerful tone as she took hold of Mei's hand and lead her towards the kitchen.

"Okay," Mei smiled at her girlfriends attempt to change the subject and was happy with her suggestion as she walked down the hall behind her.

* * *

 ** _When I actually reveal what Yuzu is worrying over I will be kind of making stuff up more so than I probably should, but what the hell this is fiction nobody cares ;D._**

 ** _Thanks for reading hope you liked it._**


	10. Mei's Troubles

"Morning babe, you look beautiful as always," Yuzu said as she made her way over to the bed, crawling onto the end and giving Mei a mild kiss, her body felt warmer as their lips made contact, grinning when she saw the tips of Mei's ears brighten at the compliment. "Morning," replied Mei as she brushed her untidy hair out of her face, looking at herself then at the blonde she thought they looked like polar opposites, Yuzu was radiating, her lips and eyes smiling brightly, her eyes full of love as they looked at Mei and was fully dressed wearing jean shorts and a t-shirt; however, Mei, had knotted hair, looked drained as her body was still in the process of waking up, and to go along with this she was wearing nothing more than an old, worn printed shirt from Yuzu's clothes that would have benefited from being thrown out months ago.

"I think your idea of beautiful needs refinement," Mei smiled as she gave Yuzu a quick kiss, rubbing her eyes as she tried to wake herself up. Yuzu handed her a large mug of tea, "Absolutely not," said Yuzu as she settled on the side of the bed as she waited for Mei to wake up. Mei took the mug and sipped on the tea letting out a content sigh as the warm liquid made it's way into her system, draining the contents she handed the cup back to Yuzu and slipped out of the covers and over to the wardrobe to get dressed. Yuzu watched happily as Mei lifted her shirt over her head exposing her flawless skin, refraining from taking Mei in her grasp she watched her girlfriend's silhouette shining in the morning light. Every curve of Mei's body stood out to Yuzu, every time she bent over to retrieve something Yuzu could feel herself growing excited at the sight of her lover, she watched in hopeful anticipation as Mei removed her shirt and tossed it into the basket, showing her truest form as she walked around the room, Yuzu's eyes never shifted from her lover. Mei graciously changed into clothes, shielding her skin from Yuzu making her grunt in objection.

Mei could feel Yuzu follow her as she strode around the room, and practically heard the sigh when she put a top and trousers on. Mei smirked as she turned to Yuzu feeling much more awake, "Don't be too disappointed," Mei smiled smugly as she leaned over Yuzu's still sitting form, resting her forearms on Yuzu's shoulders as she leant down giving the blonde what she wanted. Yuzu waisted no time when Mei's lips made contact with her own and brushed her tongue over Mei's front teeth asking for entry which Mei was happy to give her. Yuzu's tongue instantly moved into her lover's mouth as soon as she felt Mei's teeth give way, desperate to explore every inch of her, reaching up with her free hand she wrapped it around Mei's neck; tugging her down deeper into the kiss.

Yuzu heard Mei gasp in surprise, her eagerness getting the better of her as she sucked on Mei's tongue and when Mei tried to pull away for some much-needed air, Yuzu bit down on Mei's bottom lip giving a small growl and sucking before letting her go. Yuzu's chest heaved at her lack of oxygen as she rested back on her hands, eyeing up the panting raven-haired girl who was wiping a strand of saliva from her chin.

Mei looked at Yuzu, her eyes were full of lust and Mei saw the familiar look of hunger in them, "Was that necessary?" Mei asked, half amused half annoyed at the blonde as she thumbed her swollen bottom lip. Yuzu replied with a grunt as she rose from the bed capturing Mei in another deep kiss, lacing a hand around Mei's neck the other snaked around her waist, abruptly pulling her into Yuzu's body. Groaning into the kiss, Yuzu ran her hand over Mei, gripping roughly at her behind as she dominated all of Mei's advances; trying to reach as far into Mei's mouth as possible.

Mei was pleasantly surprised at Yuzu's assertiveness but also didn't know if she liked Yuzu dominating her so easily, her mind swam as she released moan after moan at Yuzu's touches. Once again Mei tried to pull away in need of air but was stopped by Yuzu's hand on the back of her neck, that was scrunching fists full of her hair, forcing her to continue the kiss. Yuzu's tongue licked and explored every crevice of her mouth, her lips harsh and commanding against Mei's, Mei's lungs where tight, her chest felt it was going to explode; she needed air. She pushed on Yuzu's shoulder in attempts to get her to break the kiss, however, instead, she felt the blonde tilt her head and reach her tongue in for one final length creasing the furthest regions of her mouth before reluctantly pulling away.

As soon as her lips were released Mei took a sharp breath, her chest rose and fell with rapid speed as she tried to regain her breath, Yuzu was much the same as she breathed hard, her breath brushing Mei's lips. While still panting heavily, Yuzu managed one final, less thorough kiss before resting her forehead against Mei's, with her hand still resting on Mei's neck she tried her best to cress Mei's neck in a comforting way.

"Yuzu," Her voice was whispy and rushed as Mei still tried to regain her breath. As her breathing slowly returning to normal she looked into Yuzu's eyes where she still found the lingering look of hunger but it had dissipated slightly into contentment as she looked at Mei with warm eyes.

"Sorry I got a bit carried away there," Yuzu apologised as she took Mei's cheek in the palm of her hand; lightly brushing it with her thumb, the cheeks a noticeably darker shade of pink.

"Who said I didn't like it?" Mei said while she slipped one hand around Yuzu's waist, her hot breath catching Yuzu on her still wet lips which turned into a smirk at Mei's words. "You like it when I'm rough with you, don't you?" Yuzu said as her hand made it's way down her back and once again gripping the muscle of Mei's ass which resulted in a small moan from Mei.

"I think you already know the answer to that," Mei grinned as she moved out of the blonde's grasp, "Where are you going?" Whined Yuzu as she followed Mei out of the bedroom, "To the bathroom, I need to get ready. Oh, could you be amazing and make me some breakfast please, I'll be 10 minutes?" Frowning slightly Yuzu leaned against the door frame as Mei started the shower. "Sure, but wouldn't you rather I joined you?" Yuzu smirked again as she reached forwards and twirled a piece of Mei's hair in-between her fingers.

Mei smiled as Yuzu watched her, "I would like you to make me some breakfast," Mei said giving the blonde a smirk as she started once again, to strip herself of the clothes. Yuzu although disappointed in not spending time with Mei was more than willing to make her something to eat, "Fine, I suppose," giving an exasperated sigh and roll of her eyes in attempts to tease Mei.

"Thank you," Mei chuckled softly, giving the blonde a peck before she watched her walk down the hall noticing the extra sway she put into her hips. Quickly undressing and stepping into the warm shower, it was a comfort to the girl as the hot water splashed off her skin, refreshing her while extinguishing any remains of sleep that still lingered.

Today Mei was going back to her grandfather's house to accompany him to a gathering where almost all of the Aihara's partners would be, Mei's grandfather had said it was compulsory for her to attend and get to know the companies allies if she was going to be taking over it in just a few years time. Her relationship had vastly improved with her grandfather, not enough to invite him around and play bingo but so much so that they could have a pleasant conversation. Mei had shown reluctance to go at first but Yuzu had told her that it would be silly to miss something so important, even if she knew Mei didn't really want to go.

It was less than a week into her summer break and she already had to leave for the day, she had stayed up late the night before being convinced by Yuzu -with more than just words- and had gotten less than her daily quota of sleep. She wanted to spend the day with Yuzu lazing around, not sucking up to people she would probably not see for months or years.

But per Yuzu's request here she was getting ready to attend the event, though Mei had a feeling that Yuzu was trying to get her to stay as long as possible, she was being very affectionate and assertive. Mei presumed it was Yuzu's way of saying, 'No matter who you meet today, I'm here' Mei knew that, she would never think of leaving Yuzu for one of the many suitors that were going to be at the event. But she felt the blonde still wanted to show Mei that she was her's, Mei thought it quite sweet that Yuzu was being so possessive of her, and very much enjoyed her ways of showing it.

5 minutes later she heard the door to the bathroom unlock not long before the shower door was opened and she felt the familiar slim arms wrap around her waist, while light kisses were trailed up the back of her neck. Mei chuckled softly as she leaned into Yuzu's embrace, "I thought you were making breakfast or did you give in to temptation, again," Mei spoke confidently as she assumed that the blonde and forgone her attempts at making breakfast for joining her. Yuzu, however, didn't find the comment so amusing as she lent up on her tiptoes and captured Mei's small earlobe in her mouth and dragged her teeth across it. Hearing Mei gasp and feeling her body quake at the touch Yuzu smiled, "I have already made you something it's waiting for you in the kitchen, but the temptation waiting for me did help in the speed I made it." Yuzu licked the back of Mei's ear before again working her way down the neck leaving a trail of kisses, occasionally lightly sucking and biting.

"Mhhm...Yu-Yuzu." Yuzu smirked as her partner moaned her name, and slowly rose her hands from Mei's waist to brush the underside of her breasts earning another light moan from Mei. Despite wanting to drag out the morning Yuzu knew she was on a schedule and had to rush things faster than she would have liked, still Mei made no complaints as Yuzu's hands covered her breasts, giving them moderate rolls and pulls while continuing the work on her neck.

Yuzu rolled the hard nipples in her fingers as she listened to the ecstatic moan from her lover, slowly grinding her pelvis into Mei's ass making sure to drag out the contact, which only made Mei groan louder. Yuzu was attempting to get Mei ready as fast as possible, she had let the girl sleep in slightly this morning so she didn't have the luxury of time, which both her and Mei were painfully aware of.

Releasing her right nipple Yuzu traced Mei's torso as her hand slipped to Mei's most sensitive area, lightly brushing her outer thighs and hips as Yuzu stimulated around Mei's lips, teasing her. Yuzu could feel Mei's hips moving against her hand as she sought to make contact with her lower lips, stopping her kissing for a moment she ran her tongue up the full length of Mei's shoulder and neck while her fingers ran down Mei's sleek lower lips that where drenched due to her arousal.

She saw Mei's bottom lip disappear into her mouth as her head rolled back trying to suppress a moan. Moving her fingers along the lubricated lips at a slightly growing pace as she continued to grind into Mei's backside. Deciding she needed better access she turned Mei around not easing on any of her motions, she continued to bite, lick and kiss Mei's neck and collarbone as she slipped a single finger into her lover's wet entrance. "Ahhh, y-yu" Mei tried to speak but most of her words were coming out as moans which encouraged Yuzu to continue and prompting her to add a second finger into the dripping entrance. Her fingers moved in and out of Mei at a steady pace while she worked on Mei's growing orgasm. Yuzu while continuing to finger the girl never stopped her hips, that proceeded to grind into Mei; constantly making the dragging motion over Mei's higher thigh, thus giving herself pleasure as well as Mei.

Taking a bouncing breast in her mouth her tongue ran teasingly around the nipple, feeling Mei's back arch into her front she gave the engorged nub a hard suck. Mei could feel her legs going weak at the pleasure, and was grateful that Yuzu had unconsciously managed to walk her back against the shower wall. Continuing her constant thrusts Yuzu could feel Mei's hips coming down to meet her every time, removing her fingers almost entirely she heard a disappointed gasp from Mei which was quickly replaced with a muffled scream as Yuzu drove her fingers as deep as she could in one fell thrust. Curling her fingers as she withdrew them, again she felt Mei shudder beneath her and could feel her warm walls clamping down on her fingers everytime she gave Mei another hard push.

Yuzu could tell by the constant grip on her fingers that Mei was getting close and improved her speed, fingering Mei as she listened to the screams and panting of her name, giving a final curl of her fingers Mei's walls gripped tightly on to her fingers as her orgasm momentarily took over her body. Yuzu continued slower bursts as Mei rode out her orgasm, supporting Mei's panting body Yuzu removed her fingers slowly as she indulged in listening to the gasp that left Mei's lips.

Not yet ceasing contact with her left hand, she brought her dripping fingers to her mouth and licked them, savouring the bittersweet flavour of her lover while looking alluringly into Mei's glistening eyes. Once licking them clean she placed both hands on Mei's still wobbling hips and placed a light kiss on the corner of Mei's mouth before moving along her jaw, giving sight nibbles where she knew Mei enjoyed it most. Reaching her neck Yuzu started to suck carelessly on the skin, "No Yuh-zu Not uhh... there," through hard breathing Mei managed to make a jumbled sentence in attempts to get Yuzu not to make marks on her neck. It was summer she would have no way of hiding the marks the blonde was going to leave, Yuzu knew this as much as Mei.

Despite a low grumble, Yuzu continued her trail of kissed down Mei, she could hear Mei's heart hammering against her chest that was still moving rapidly. With her hands still caressing her sides, Yuzu attached her lips to the flesh at the top of Mei's left breast and began sucking on the salty skin. Giving a bite that was overly aggressive she gained another whimper from Mei as she licked over the now red surface. Several short kisses to the developing bruise later Yuzu made her way back up to capture Mei's lips in her own, the kiss was short due to their lack of breath but the passion that filled the air was enough for both of them.

"Mine, remember that today," Yuzu growled into Mei's burning ear as she moved away from the exhausted girl, grinning when she saw the growing mark on her lover's chest. Coming down from her ecstasy she glanced at the clock feeling slightly guilty, "Oh shit... Sorry, Mei you where supposed to leave like five minutes ago, you are going to have to hurry up," Yuzu said as she stepped towards the door of the shower to leave Mei to quickly finish up. Ignoring the curse at the beginning of her statement, Mei looked to the clock eyes widening when she saw the time and made no protests when Yuzu left to get dry as she hadn't even begun to wash yet.

Struggling to get ready as fast possible, she tried to blow dry her hair while getting dressed into something appropriate, neither of which was working out. She didn't want to go but still, she would at least have the courtesy of showing up on time. The blonde came in and giggled at the scene, stepping over and taking the dryer off Mei, guiding her to the seat in front of the desk. "I'm sorry I made you late, once I've done your hair you can get dressed and I'll drive you to gramps and you can eat and put your makeup on in the car," Yuzu said as she looked at Mei in the mirror with only a half-apologetic smile, Mei knew that Yuzu was gloating at making her late.

Putting Mei's hair into a high bun Yuzu left Mei to get ready while she went to the kitchen to pack her breakfast to go. 2 minutes later Mei came out in a three-piece suit; dress trousers a burgundy blouse and blazer and Yuzu couldn't help but look in awe, the trousers clung to Mei's backside showing off the roundness of her ass while the blouse emphasised her small waist, as well as her breasts.

Grabbing her keys Mei waited by the door for Yuzu who was still ogling her from the kitchen, "C'mon Yuzu you are going to make me later than I already am," Mei couldn't help but smile at her girlfriends open mouth, who quickly shut it and grabbed a box from the counter and to-go coffee mug as she jogged out the door slightly embarrassed from staring so long.

Yuzu drove while Mei put her minimal makeup on in the passenger seat, it was an hour drive to her grandfather's house and at the speed Yuzu was driving, and traffic Mei was destined to be there at least 20 minutes late.

"What time do you think you will be finished?" Yuzu spoke up after almost 10 minutes of silence, "I'm not sure, it depends on what my grandfather has planned, I know there are a bunch of meetings to start with then everyone is gathering in the main hall for a social drink or casual business discussions, and I think he has made reservations at a restaurant for several of the guests but I'm not sure what time that is, or how long it's going to take. Why do you ask? I already told you that if I was going you weren't to wait up for me and just to have dinner yourself." Mei knew her answer was not really answering Yuzu's question but she honestly didn't have a set time to give the blonde.

"I know what you said, but I'm going to have to pick you up when you're done, therefore I need a time so I know when to leave," Yuzu said as if it was obvious, yet it had completely slipped Mei's mind that Yuzu would have to drive home and then back to pick her up as they only had the one car, and Mei had originally planned on driving herself. She didn't want to make the blonde drive for four hours at her expense, "Yuzu you don't have to do that, I can just get one of my grandfathers drivers to drive me home, or if I'm able I can just drive myself home, my grandfather has more than one car which he would be more than willing to lend me." Mei tried to sound casual as she worked to convince Yuzu not to pick her up.

Yuzu, however, was not as impressed by the comment as Mei had hoped, "So you want me, to let my potentially intoxicated girlfriend be driven across the country by a complete stranger, at night where anything could happen and you can't defend yourself?" Yuzu scoffed at the end of her sentence at the thought as she concentrated on the road, Mei wondered if Yuzu had planned on picking her up whether she drove herself or not as it was evident that Yuzu had her mind set on driving Mei home herself.

Sighing Mei accepted the blonde's offer knowing she had no way of getting out of it, "Fine I see your point. I still don't know when we will be finished with the dinner, so how about I text you when we leave for the restaurant, and you can leave maybe a half hour or so after that as I won't be able to message you during dinner?" Yuzu nodded in response to Mei question/answer, "Sorry if I'm being overly cautious, I just want to make sure you get home safe," Yuzu said flashing Mei a quick smile before turning back to the road. "It' okay, I know I would want to do the same," Mei admitted as she brushed over Yuzu hand, showing her that it really was fine.

20 minutes later Yuzu was pulling up onto the gravel of Mei's grandfather's mansions driveway. Mei was quick to get out of the car she was later than she had anticipated and really needed to hurry up, as she was supposed to attend the meetings this morning. "Excuse me I think You forgetting something," Yuzu said as Mei closed her door, and she scrolled down her window that Mei was currently walking around to, "Oops," Mei said playfully as she gave Yuzu a quick kiss, "I'll text you later okay, and be safe," Mei smiled giving her one last peck before she started walking away from the car to the large doors of the house.

Yuzu waited until Mei was inside before she pulled away, dreading the lonely hour long drive home. Debating whether she wanted to endure an extra two hours of driving or just spend her day pottering about the city, Yuzu remembered that her mother was still in town, she started to drive in the direction of her old apartment that she shared with Mei and her mother.

Pulling up outside, she stepped out of the car, it had been months since she was last here and it gave her a warm feeling. She ascended the staircase of the flat and knocked loudly on the door. She excitedly waited on the reply from her mother as she bounced on her toes. She had regular conversations with her mother on the phone, but the last time she had actually seen her was at Christmas last year, she regretted not visiting more but with her course and living a more than comfortable drive away, it proved to be difficult.

After several more attempts at loudly knocking her mother slowly opened the door, mumbling something about being patient. When the door was fully open Yuzu broke into a large grin at the sight of her mother, "Hey Mum!" Yuzu said happily at her mother whose eyes widened at the presence of her daughter. "Yuzu!?" Ume practically shouted as she quickly embraced her daughter, "Why didn't you call and let me know you were coming over?" Ume said after relieving Yuzu from the hug, Yuzu just laughed as she replied, "Well I had to drive Mei down to an event at gramps this morning, and thought I would come and see you while I was here. Are you busy today or do you have time to hang out?" Yuzu asked as she was welcomed into the apartment and marvelled at how almost everything was the same as she had left it a little over a year ago. "Of course I have time, I haven't seen you in months I'm going to clear my day, give me two minutes," Ume replied swiftly as she made her way down the hall, Yuzu suspected to make a few phone calls and cancel on several people, which she felt only partially guilty for as she was too excited to spend the day with her mother.

Yuzu had spent the day with her mother going through random shops, cafes and had gone out to dinner with her mother as well, after the meal Ume had invited Yuzu back to the house, which Yuzu had happily accepted. It was already past 8 and Mei hadn't texted her yet, surely gramps wouldn't have made a booking for 9 at night, Yuzu was constantly checking her phone for any sign of contact with Mei, Ume had noticed, "Why do you keep checking your phone? It's rude you know," Ume's lecture/question had made Yuzu laugh, "Sorry mum, Mei was supposed to text Mei before she went to dinner, and I was supposed to pick her up and hour and a half later, but she hasn't sent me any messages and its getting pretty late." Yuzu, although tried trying to sound cheery, couldn't hide the lace of worry that had wrapped itself around her voice.

Ume smiled at her daughters reasoning, Yuzu had always been one to care and worry about people since she was young, and thought it was cute that she was worrying so much over her partner, "Yuzu calm down, Sho has been to more than a few of them and has told me that they usually run quite late. Mei has to appear polite; she is the future face of the family, she will most likely have to wait with her grandfather until the very last guest leaves. She will probably be late, and may not have even left for their reservations yet. 8 is still early, start worrying when it strikes eleven." Ume laughed at her daughter, who also chuckled a little at the end. Yuzu knew her mother was right, Mei had gone to these types of events before and had come back later than 8 or half nine when Yuzu would be arriving to pick her up, so like her mother said she put her phone away and enjoyed her limited time with her mother.

They had ended up both binging out on the sofa, with their personal favourite ice creams while watching a movie. Yuzu missed this; the comfortable silence, occasional splutter of laughter and the comfort and feeling of security of having her mom by her side. Time stretched on and they were already well into their second movie when Yuzu's phone rang, the sudden sound made her and Ume both jump and burst out into laughter, "See I told you she would call or text," Ume smiled in a boasting manner which Yuzu laughed at before swiping to answer, "Hey Mei, are you ready to be picked up, I'm at Moms so I can be there in like 5 minutes if you are?" Yuzu's voice was cheery and still had spits of laughter in it as she spoke, "Hello? I'm not sure who this is but it was the emergency contact on her phone, Your friend needs some assistance getting home, she insisted that she wasn't allowed to get a cab so I had to call this number," Yuzu's face immediately grew serious as the man on the other side of the phone spoke, "She's at the bar on the corner of 'something' street, are you able to give her a lift home?" The man on the phone sounded quite jolly himself which was the opposite of Yuzu current expression. "Yeah, I'll be there in 10 minutes, thank you for calling." After a brief goodbye, Yuzu sighed as she stood up from the couch.

"What's wrong, who was on the phone?" Ume asked seeing her daughter was slightly distressed, Yuzu answered as she walked towards the door putting her jacket and shoes on. "Seems Mei's event finished some time ago, I just got a call from a barkeeper telling me that Mei needs help home and that she refused to let him call her a cab," Yuzu smiled a little but she was still annoyed, "Why is that funny? And since when did Mei like drinking?" Ume asked as she followed Yuzu to the door unsure as to why she was smiling.

"Well, as a rule, Mei will usually just have a glass or two of wine, but she has her moments and I'm smiling not because it's funny that I have to go and pick her up but because she wouldn't let the guy call her a cab. I had told her when bringing her down that if she was drunk or had had any alcohol she was to text me to pick her up because I didn't want a stranger driving her home, and it seems that even when she is too drunk to leave the bar stool she still remembered what I said, even if she doesn't know why she wasn't supposed to get a cab," Yuzu laughed, it was cute that although Mei couldn't remember why still refused to get into a taxi. The bartender had told Yuzu that he had asked her why and she said she didn't know, just that she wasn't allowed, Yuzu found it amusing.

"I'm sorry to have to leave so suddenly but I need to pick Mei up. I'll call you tomorrow to let you know that we got home safe."Yuzu wrapped her mother in a hug before she said goodbye and made her way down the stairs to her car. She knew where the bar was, she and Harumi had snuck in there a few times in there last year of high school, and by the sounds of it, it was the same guy that still owned the place. Yuzu drove quickly down the streets, she didn't know why Mei would have gone to bar after the events, but she had to guess it had something to do with her grandfather and his opinion on her life choices, most likely Yuzu. But Yuzu had spoken to her grandfather several times since they had gotten together and things where pretty smooth between them now, he hadn't made any insulting comments about her or the company in a long time, so Yuzu was a little taken aback at the thought that he would choose to openly shame his granddaughter at a serious event.

Yuzu could only speculate as she wouldn't be able to say for certain until tomorrow when Mei was sober, or risk calling her grandfather for the details. She pulled up outside the old pub and walked in, it was relatively busy but Yuzu could make out a figure slouched over the bar slurring to the man on the other side, who was cleaning glasses as he entertained her. Walking towards her she smiled at the familiar man, who recognised her because of her hair.

When she and Harumi had come here she thought the bartender knew she was underage, as he still served them but seemed to dilute their drinks a lot, which she was now grateful for. "Hey, I haven't seen you in a long time, where ya been?" He was casual as he cheerily spoke to Yuzu, who gave him a smile of her own back.

"Hey, it's been ages since I was here, I actually moved a while ago I'm surprised you remember me," Yuzu answered as she sat down at the bar next to Mei who still hadn't registered the body beside her. "How could I forget the troublemaking little blonde who snuck into my bar, anyway what can I get you?" He asked as he threw the cloth over his shoulder and moved over to grab a glass for Yuzu, chuckling she waved him down with her hand, "Nothing thanks; I'm driving," She smiled at him.

"Well, what are you doing in a bar if you aren't planning on drinking?" He laughed as he put the glass back below the counter, "Here to pick someone up, You called me." Yuzu joked with the man and laughed when she saw it click in his mind. "Oh right," he chuckled softly, Yuzu gestured to Mei who was still obliviously sitting drinking a glass of clear liquid mumbling to herself, "What time did she get here, and how many as she had," looking at the bartender as she asked. He smiled at her concern, "She got here around the back of ten, she has probably had a few too many, but I switched her vodka to water around 20 minutes ago, she didn't seem to notice though." He gestured to the cup in Mei's hand, which she unconsciously sipped on. "Probably best you get her home, it was nice seeing you again," the man smiled honestly at Yuzu, "Yeah it was, next time I'm in town I'll make sure and pop in. Oh how much do I owe you for the drinks, I assume she hasn't been paying you?" Yuzu giggled again, "Don't worry about it, on the house just make sure you get home safe," He smiled again before leaving the two and moved over to the busier area of the bar.

"Mei? C'mon you gotta get up, we need to go home." Yuzu said while tapping her on the shoulder, Mei lifted her head in response to her name, and smiled when she saw Yuzu, "Hey be-babe" Mei said through a hiccup, as she stood from the stool and stumbled into Yuzu's grasp. Mei leaned heavily against Yuzu who gave the barkeeper a final wave before assisting Mei out of the pub. Plopping her into the passenger seat and strapping her in properly, Yuzu moved around to her side and getting in, wasting no time as started the car and immediately started to drive away.

"Where are you taking me?" Mei asked still sat in the position Yuzu had left her in. "Home," was the only reply the blonde gave, she knew any conversation they had right now would be useless, and Mei wouldn't remember most of it anyways. The long drive home consisting of Mei asking random questions that Yuzu would only give short answers to, she wasn't mad or annoyed at the girl if anything Yuzu though Mei was quite an amusing drunk, she would lose her cool demeanour and be rather open and welcoming to most people.

It was getting late and the drive was proving to feel longer with Mei's repeating questions. Yuzu asked Mei one of her own curiosity to see what her drunken answer would be, "Mei, why wouldn't you let the barkeeper call you a cab?" She knew why, Mei's subconscious knew that Yuzu would be extremely annoyed if she had gone against her on something like this, but she was certain that the current Mei didn't actually know why. "Hmmm... because...um...because, because my mind told me so," Yuzu giggled at her stuttered response, Mei really was cute. She continued the useless conversation with her partner until they got home, where Yuzu struggled to get Mei up the flight of stairs and into the apartment, where she took Mei straight to the bedroom and put her in bed. And like magic Mei quickly fell asleep under the covers as Yuzu stroked her black hair.

Confident that Mei was sound asleep Yuzu made her way into the lounge, she had this nagging voice in her head that told her to call their grandfather and ask him if he knew what had made Mei leave and go drinking, but the other part of her knew that Mei would be mad at her for calling him without asking her what happened first. Whilst at war with herself she felt not knowing was worse than Mei being mad at her for a little while, and she didn't really want to have to ask Mei what had made her drink so much in the morning, she thought it would be a rather sour topic that may spur an argument. Which after their past couple days Yuzu wanted to avoid at all costs.

Making her decision she flicked through her phones contacts until she found the right name, it was already a little past one and Yuzu wasn't sure if he would still be awake but she called anyway, after just a single ring the call connected where she was met with the normal harsh sound of Mei's grandfathers voice. "Hello, is this Yuzu?" He got straight to the point which didn't surprise Yuzu, "Umm yes, sorry for calling so late, I just had some questions I wanted to ask you if you don't mind." Yuzu got on fine with the man now, but that didn't stop her from being intimidated by him.

"Don't be, I have been waiting for your call, is Mei with you? She would not answer her cell phone to me." He was reserved as usual but Yuzu thought she heard a tinge of worry in his voice, but she couldn't be sure, "Yes she is home safe and sound, but that is actually why I called you. I picked Mei up from a bar an hour ago, Mei isn't a heavy drinker but when I got there she couldn't even stand. I wanted to know if you had any idea what made her mad or upset enough to drink so much, I mean its very out of character for her and the only place she has been was with you, so I have to ask." Yuzu although was nervous still sounded confident as she spoke through the phone. She heard a sigh from the other side of the phone before the return of a hoarse voice, "That's good to hear I wasn't quite sure where she went once she had left. I will tell you what happened tonight but I can't say Mei will be very happy about me telling you, but as her current partner you have a right to know," Yuzu overlooking his use of 'current', was grateful that he was willing to share the information and sat down on the couch in preparation for the story. Their grandfather was a straightforward man and would explain briefly and effectively, he wasn't one to ramble on, which was something Yuzu was grateful for at this current moment.

"Well, I shall skip to dinner as the rest of the morning and afternoon had gone relatively well. We got to our reservation on time at 8:30, and things where going well, until one of my partners brought up the topic of Mei taking over the family business, she had answered honestly, stating that she would do her best to fulfil the role, however, the man who was asking her this brought up the topic of who she would leave the business to when she passed. Mei spoke a little too honest here and said when she has children she will not tell them to take over the family business, that it would be their own choice. Most of the people there thought it was a kind and diplomatic way to handle things, however, this man would not rest," Yuzu could hear spikes of anger in her grandfather's tone, but chose to just sit and wait for him to finish, knowing that interrupting him would annoy him.

"He further questioned her on the topic before moving onto her marriage, asking who she was planning on marrying, accusing her of leaving it quite late as most girls in similar situations would have already eloped. I didn't like him prying knowing the circumstances between you two, and how other people would react to it, but alas he did not give even at my request. Mei much like myself came to your defence, saying she already had a partner and was in a stable relationship. This was when someone else on the board stepped in, they must have found out about her relationship this morning when you dropped Mei off, as they knew she was currently seeing a female. Questioning whether she was going to marry and bring two families together, along with the constant questioning about having children in a normal environment, a lot of the board at the dinner started questioning Mei on the topic. A lot of them meant no harm and were merely intrigued about how Mei was going to go about the situation; others were not so eager to hide their distaste. Eventually, Mei had had enough of the insults and questions and had politely excused herself from the dinner. I had thought she would have gone home or called you as she had refused to answer her phone to me. I had a word with my colleagues once she had left about her life choices, and that she can do as she pleases as long as the business stays in a good standing. But Mei didn't hear that as she left, believing the board and myself had turned against her. I had debated calling you earlier but I thought it best to wait and see if she or yourself wanted to talk to me." His voice had let up a little towards the end, and Yuzu could hear how strained and tired it was.

"I see, well you have my thanks for standing up for Mei and I, would you like me to tell her that last part tomorrow when she is feeling better?" Yuzu knew she would have to talk to Mei after hearing what her grandfather had said, and was more than willing to relay his message to her.

"That would be helpful, I think she would take it better coming from you. Thank you Yuzu," He actually sounded grateful to the blonde which surprised Yuzu, and with a short goodbye and thanks he hung up. Signing Yuzu sunk further into the couch, she felt guilty for Mei having to defend herself to her coworkers, especially on her own. Deciding to dwell on it in the morning she slumped through to the bedroom where Mei was sleeping soundly, her limbs frailed randomly over the sheets. Quickly changing into some comfy clothes, she slipped in beside Mei, wrapping the girl in a warm cosy embrace. She stunk of cigarets and booze but Yuzu didn't mind she only pulled the girl closer to her, hoping to reassure her in her sleep.

Although Yuzu held Mei close and tried to fall asleep her mind couldn't shut off, as the thoughts of her earlier conversation bombarded every corner of her mind. There was truth in what those people were saying to Mei. Yuzu and Mei had spoken about Mei's legacy and if they would take over the school and business, Mei had made it abundantly clear to Yuzu that she wouldn't let her child or children have the same childhood as her. Yuzu was 100% sure about that as well, she wouldn't force their child to do something they didn't want to do, but they had a point about the child's upbringing. If Mei and Yuzu got married they could receive a 'partner certificate' and could as of recently get a mortgage and be registered as a family, but Mei wouldn't be merging with another family; that would be a huge loss for her family in the long run. Yuzu was by no means complaining that Mei had chosen her over money and publicity, but it would probably affect her greatly when she took over from her grandfather. If they had kids, would they get bullied for having two moms? Yuzu was aware that Japan was evolving as a country when it came to homosexuality but there was still that 30 or 40 per cent that didn't accept them, and Yuzu didn't want to bring a life into the world if it meant they would be judged for their home life, much like Mei had tonight.

Mei and Yuzu hadn't spoken much about kids, they were still so young and were still somewhat kids themselves, they weren't ready to bring their own children into the world, or at least that's what Yuzu felt. The conversation had never come, up apart from when Mei had made it clear to her grandfather that her child would live a life completely different one to her own, and Yuzu hadn't expected it to be brought up again for at least 5 or so more years. She didn't know Mei had already thought so much on the topic, enough so to hold herself in a one-sided debate for 20 minutes. Was Mei already thinking about having kids?

Yuzu's mind continued to churn and run around in circles thinking of random questions and scenarios, her body eventually falling asleep due to exhaustion well past 3 in the morning.

Mei awoke in the morning with a banging sore head, the sun that made its way through the cracks in the blinds burned her eyes, her mouth was dry and her body felt slightly stiff. She could feel pressure on her stomach and looked down to find Yuzu's arms tightly clasped around her waist, each hand holding the other forearm keeping Mei in a tight grasp stopping her from moving. She could feel the blonde's body pressed snugly against her, along with the feeling of a steady breath on her back. Looking over at her bedside table it was already past 10, Yuzu would normally have been up before now, but that would depend on what time she got to bed. As she thought back Mei couldn't remember or had very patchy memories of the events of the prior night after she left, she had no recollection of coming home or even meeting up with Yuzu. She was also in fresh pyjamas, Mei couldn't remember last night but that was enough to tell her she must have been well past her limit and felt bad at the thought of the trouble Yuzu must have gone through to get her changed last night before going to bed.

Mei felt like she needed to spew her stomach up, she was also severely dehydrated and needed a drink. She tried to shuffle out of Yuzu's grasp without waking her, but Mei's movement only made Yuzu tighten the grip on her arms, trapping Mei in bed. Mei attempted to gently pry the hands apart enough for her to slip out but was only swatted away by one of the hand before Yuzu pulled herself closer, tightening her grasp on Mei torso. Mei had found the grasp to be a little too tight and it wasn't assisting in her stopping herself from being sick.

Mei was sure Yuzu was still asleep as the warm breath on her back was still going at its steady rhythm, and aside from the odd grunt or moan at Mei's attempts to break free she was silent. Mei could feel herself starting to gag as she tried to keep her vomit down, she couldn't be sick here, she was in the middle of a double bed and it would seep into their mattress. Trying again to get out of the blondes vice-like grip this time she was slightly more aggressively, she needed to get to the bathroom, only she felt the blonde's legs tangle themselves around her own, stilling her. Mei was facing a losing battle here, she couldn't keep it down for much longer, she couldn't turn around or remove Yuzu's hands she was quite literally stuck.

"Yuzu!" Mei shouted, her voice cracked due to dryness as she screamed the older girls name, Yuzu immediately woke up, her eyes darting open as she shot up into a sitting position releasing Mei. "Wh-what is it?!" Yuzu sounded concerned at her abrupt awakening and quickly scanned the room for signs of anything that was wrong, she was stunned when she saw Mei blot out of the room, swinging the door open. She sat in bewilderment unsure of what just occurred, she heard Mei running down the hall followed by the sound of sick. Yuzu grasping why Mei had left and shuddered at the sound of sick hitting water, she was still tired and didn't appreciate her rude awakening.

Yuzu stayed perched on the bed until Mei came back 5 minutes later with a glass of water, "Why'd you wake me up like that, you scared me. I thought we were being robbed or something?" Yuzu voice was full of irritation as she gave Mei a rather cold glare. Mei, however, paid no attention to her gaze as she moved the blonde over and pulled the warm covers back over her body.

"Well, I wouldn't have had to do that if you had just let me go. You were holding on so tight I couldn't move, it was the only way I could get you to wake up fast. It was that or I was sick in our bed." Mei said as she took an aspirin with her water, Yuzu instantly lost her glare as it switched to a guilty face, "Oh sorry, I didn't know, I was in a pretty deep sleep," Yuzu said while sheepishly scratching the back of her neck, giving Mei a weary side smile.

"It doesn't matter, how did I get home, I don't remember much in the time from me leaving the diner to waking up here?" Mei asked as she snuggled into the covers as she waited for her reply. Yuzu looked at her with a serious expression, "Well once you left you went to a local pub, got completely hammered and then I got called by the barkeeper to come and pick you up, then I drove you home and practically dragged you up the stairs and into bed." Yuzu tried to sound annoyed at Mei but she couldn't help the small twitch on the side of her mouth at Mei's horrified expression.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry. I don't remember it but I'm sure I was a lot of hassle," Mei looked at a smiling Yuzu, "Don't be, that's why I'm here; to pick you up from bars at 12 in the morning," Yuzu gave Mei a quick wink and stole a kiss from her, scrunching her face up at the lingering taste of vodka, mixed with sick on her lips. Yuzu stuck her tongue out while she continued to scrunch her face, showing her dissatisfaction to Mei, who only chuckled at her reaction.

"Can I ask you to make me some coffee please?" Mei said as she leaned back against the headboard. Giving a small nod, Yuzu trotted out of the bedroom to make some coffee, when she came back she had some dry toast and a steaming cup of coffee. Mei took the mug but not the toast, "You know I don't like eating in bed," Mei said sharply, but Yuzu placed the plate down on the sheets in front of Mei anyway. "The sheets all stink of booze anyway so we are going to have to change the bedding whether you eat in bed or not. So stop complaining and just eat the toast," Yuzu was stern as she looked at Mei who eventually looked away from Yuzu and bit into the toast, "Thanks," Mei gave a brief word of acknowledgement at Yuzu as she continued to eat her toast and sip on her coffee.

"I'm going for a shower if anything happen shout and I'll be through in seconds but ONLY if something happens," Yuzu said as she jumped off the bed, giving Mei a kiss on the cheek before walking to collect a pair of clothes and heading to the bathroom. Mei could clearly hear the shower from the bedroom, Yuzu must have left the door open slightly so she could hear Mei. And although Mei thought it sweet it really was unnecessary. She was hungover not dying, in a few hours she should be feeling slightly better, she had already taken aspirin there was nothing else she could do but wait for the after-effects of the alcohol to wear off. Until then Mei had made the decision to curl up into the covers and put the television on, the volume was almost non-existent but Mei didn't want any loud noises, and was happy just to watch the screen.

20 minutes later Yuzu returned with her own cup of coffee and plate of food, placing herself on top of the covers beside Mei. The room had an awkward silence in it once Yuzu returned, both knew about the events of the dinner, but Mei didn't know Yuzu knew and didn't know if she should bring it up, but knew she would have to explain why she had gone out drinking, while Yuzu knew everything and was unsure as how to tell Mei and ask if she wanted to talk about anything. And Yuzu still wanted to know Mei's views on having kids.

"Do you want to talk about it, or just leave it till later?" Yuzu finally spoke up, which surprised Mei, "Talk about what? Do you know what happened?" Mei asked as she looked at the blonde slightly confused, Yuzu only knew two people who attended the meal, herself and her grandfather. The only way she could know what had happened was if she had called him last night or if he had called her. Yuzu gripped her mug slightly tighter at Mei's words.

"Umm yeah, I was worried about why you were so upset last night, so once I put you to bed I called gramps. He was actually waiting for one of us to call and had waited up just in case we did. He told me what happened, and if you want to talk about it I'm ready to, but if you don't, just like you did the other day, I won't force you to. Please don't be mad at me for calling gramps before talking to you, I was just so anxious and so was he, he knew that telling me might anger you but he thought I had a right to know. He also wanted me to tell you that he told his partners off once you left and that he was really sorry." Yuzu spoke fast as she tried to relive all the information in as little time as possible. She looked over at Mei who had a mixture of emotions on her face, Yuzu couldn't make out what she was thinking or what she was going to say.

"I'm not mad at you, at least not entirely, if grandfather thought you deserved to know then so be it, and I'm not sure there is anything to discuss, it really was just one overly opinionated man who was prying too much, his questions were nothing we haven't spoken about before. And I shall thank Grandfather for his apology later," Mei said, Yuzu was slightly surprised she was being so nonchalant about the whole thing, and although Mei had said they had spoken about everything already the question about Mei already knowing everything about her future kids continued to eat away at her. She needed to know if Mei was already considering having children. "Mei, last night gramps said a lot of the questions the man was asking was about your legacy and your possible kids... I was wondering are you, ya know... thinking about having kids? I mean it sounded like you had put a lot of thought into the subject, and I'm not against it but you know..." Yuzu trailed off at the end of her question feeling slightly embarrassed. Mei gave Yuzu a smile she could see the distress on her face.

"I have thought a lot about having children yes, about how I will bring them up or how I'm going to tell them about the business or if they will go to banquets or meet and greets with me. Since I got into a serious relationship with you I have thought about things like this, but to answer the question that I know is going through your head at the minute. Yes, I think I want kids but not just yet, we're still in school and it isn't the right time for us. That's what I believe anyway." Mei smiled and let a little giggle out at the relieved look that washed over Yuzu's face.

"Oh, okay that makes me feel a lot better," Yuzu said, "But are you sure you don't want to talk about anything?" Yuzu asked again, she wanted to make sure Mei wasn't just saying she was fine, "Yes Yuzu, it was just a lot of questions all at the same time, it just made me feel kind of like a failure last night, that because of my personal life the board members where questioning my ability to run the business. But I know that I would choose you over the business any day, I'm completely fine as long as I have you." Mei finished as she settled into the cushions, Yuzu could see Mei was getting slightly agitated by the conversation and knew that Mei was done being questioned by her. "Okay, then you have me," Yuzu smiled widely at Mei who gave her a smile back with slightly flushed cheeks, Yuzu moved closer to Mei and gave her another kiss on the cheek, not willing to risk the taste of vodka so early in the morning again, interwinding their fingers together as they sat watching the television.

Yuzu felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders after Mei had stated she wasn't currently thinking about having children, she didn't think she could handle a little her and Mei crawling about the apartment at least not yet. While Mei was happy that Yuzu hadn't pushed the topic just like she had said she wouldn't, Mei had felt insulted last night and wanted to take her mind off things, she didn't need a therapy session and was glad that Yuzu was letting it slide.

There would be problems with the board when Mei took over and many of them would no doubt concern her relationship or her children but for now, Mei was willing to just forget about it, she would have to cross that bridge when she came to it, there was no point in her fretting about it now. When the time came, she would talk to Yuzu about it, until then she nor Yuzu had any need to worry over it.

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 _ **Hey, thanks for reading this chapter hope you enjoyed it, :)**_

 _ **Btw 'something' street is just a street in Japan, I couldn't be bothered looking up an actual street and or bar in the city where Yuzu and Mei's home actually was, so just use your imagination :)**_


	11. Fun in The Woods

_**So this chapter is set about a week or so after the prior one, I aware that this fic is supposed to be about their time in university but there is only so much a person can write about books and lectures. So I'm going to spend the next couple of chapters focusing in on their summer break, as well as perhaps being a little more regular with Yuzu and Mei's 'intimate' moments. Hope you don't mind, let me know what you think :).**_

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"Mei, hurry up! The others have been waiting for over 10 minutes, just because you don't want to go doesn't mean you can make the rest of us late!" Yuzu hollered down the hall. She shuffled the heavy duffle bag on her shoulder while putting the one in her hand down on the floor, it was too heavy to hold standing still and Mei was taking the mick.

Several more infuriating minutes later, Mei came out of their bedroom. Dressed in beige knee-length shorts, a loose t-shirt and some ankle high burgundy walking boots Yuzu had bought yesterday. She was, like Yuzu, carrying a duffle bag that was packed to the brim, Yuzu thought the fabric of the strap would break because of the strain.

Mei was shooting nothing short of well-sharpened daggers at Yuzu as she walked down the hall to the lounge where Yuzu was standing.

Dropping her bag loudly at Yuzu's feet, she made her way into the kitchen. Raking through the cupboards Mei finally found the box she was looking for, turning, she walked back over to her bag and slipped the box of tea into a pouch on the side.

"If they want me to come they can wait until I'm ready." Mei was openly annoyed at the situation, while Yuzu rolled her eyes. "Fine, but will you hurry up for me then? I want to get there and be set up before it's dark and at the rate your going, we might as well leave tomorrow. I know you don't want to come but I didn't want to leave you for the whole weekend, and we were invited so it's rude to say no. So stop all this procrastination and pick up your bag," Yuzu's wasn't using the impatient tone from earlier, but an understanding one. Mei had made her decision on going as soon as she was invited, 'no', but after several days of Yuzu asking -begging-, Mei reluctantly gave in.

"Sorry," Mei said as she picked up the heavy, over-packed bag from Yuzu's feet and walked out the front door. Leaving Yuzu to get her own bag and the tent by herself. Sighing Yuzu picked up the brick-like bag and exited the apartment, locking up and clumsily making her way down the stairs while trying to balance both bags.

When she eventually made her way out of the bottom of the flat, she saw the family sized car parked outside with the boot wide open. "Yuzu! Hurry up, I want to be there before I'm lying in my casket!" Matsuri shouted from the passenger seat. Yuzu grinned at her before placing both her bags in the trunk, slamming it shut. Jumping in the back she was met with a still scowling Mei, she buckled herself in before addressing the two girls in the front, "Hey sorry about being so late. Mei really didn't want to come and has been putting off getting ready all morning," Yuzu apologized, which resulted in several giggles from the front, while she felt a cold stare at her from behind.

"That doesn't surprise me, I'm surprised you even agreed to come, camping doesn't really fit your persona," Harumin questioned from her seat in the front of the car. "I didn't have a choice. Yuzu gave me the ultimatum of either coming with her or staying home with her sulking and being mad all weekend, which I didn't want. So here I am, but don't think I'm going to partake in any of your games or activities. I'm here as Yuzu requested but nowhere in her argument did she say I had to participate." Mei finished as she continued to coldly eye the blonde whilst speaking to Harumin.

"Awe c'mon Mei, if you're coming you might as well try and enjoy yourself." Yuzu said, and Matsuri had been quick to back her up, stating she didn't want a grumpy Mei ruining her trip.

Yuzu and Mri had been invited by the other couple several days ago to go camping, Yuzu had described it as being a prolonged double date. The two hadn't booked a site to go camping, instead had said they wanted to find their own spot somewhere in the forest. They had planned to go from Friday afternoon till Monday morning and had wanted to be their earlier in the day, to find a good spot where they had access to both water and a cleared piece of land.

Yuzu had instantly agreed, she and Mei didn't have any plans and Yuzu had been camping several times before and really wanted to go. Mei, however, wasn't so keen. She had never been camping before and didn't like the idea of being outdoors for several days, having no access to electricity or even a toilet. It did not scream 'fun', not at all.

The location Harumin had opted for was a little over an hours drive from Yuzu and Mei's flat, and they where told they would have to walk to get there. Hence Yuzu had gone out and bought Mei proper footwear, so Mei wouldn't have yet another thing to complain about while they were there.

The car ride was mostly happy, as three of the four sang along to the radio, while Mei sat still sulking in her seat. Yuzu had opted to sit in the middle so she could sit next to her girlfriend, and had taken hold of Mei's hand not long after leaving. Mei, although was annoyed at the blonde, felt a little better at the contact, and could feel herself relax a little. She knew the others where right, she was here and should try to have fun but the stubborn part of her wanted to stick her ground and continue to be uninterested.

When Harumin finally parked the car, she hopped out and signalled for everyone to grab their bags. Harumin and Matsuri both had similar bags to Yuzu and were each holding one handle of the bag that contained their tent. Mei grabbed her bag and walked away, _guess I'm carrying the tent myself then._

Yuzu grunted as she hoisted the heavy bag onto her back, the weight enough to make her stumble back several steps, before picking up her bag of personal belongings placing it diagonally across her shoulders. She closed to boot of the car and made her way over to the group of chatting girls, Yuzu was sure that the tent and her bag weighed more than she did.

"Okay, so we have to make our way up this path, it will start to get pretty steep after about 20 minutes, and after that, there should be some open space that is near the waterfall. But if anyone sees any place good before then just say. I'm going off google here so we might be looking a while," Harumin gave a small grin as she turned and started walking up the path, sharing the weight of the bag with her girlfriend.

Mei followed suit promptly, Yuzu, however, took a moment to build up momentum, she rocked her heels back in attempts to give her a little push forwards. After several seconds Yuzu was slowly walking behind the others, she found that the straps dug a little into her small shoulders, but she couldn't complain; she was the one who wanted to come.

"Are you okay?" Mei asked, she had stopped walking and waited until Yuzu had caught up with her before she started again. Yuzu wasn't an extremely active person, but she was still fit and Mei found it hard to believe that after only 5 minutes of walking she was already short of breath.

"Wh-what? No, I'm fine. Guess I just need to do a little more exercise, are you feeling better yet?" Yuzu blew off Mei's concerns, asking her own question while reaching her hand out to Mei, who gripped onto the blond's hand without any resistance. "Yeah I guess, sorry for my attitude, I know how much you wanted to come, I just didn't like being blackmailed into coming as well," Mei's tone was relaxed as she walked holding onto the blonde's hand, she was less annoyed at her girlfriend. Knowing that she had meant well and only made Mei choose after countless attempts of persuasion had failed.

"Sorry, I-I didn't mean to make it sound like, like blackmail but I really wanted to come and you had to come for me to co-come, so I'm sorry but only a little bit cuz we're here," Yuzu gave Mei a quick grin and squeezed her hand, she was breathing heavily and talking wasn't helping. Mei looked back over at Yuzu, she saw a slite sheen of sweat on her forehead and her chest was moving quickly, "Are you sure your okay, do you want to stop for a minute?" Mei asked as she squeezed Yuzu hand to get her attention.

"No, I'm fine don't worry," Yuzu smiled broadly at Mei before turning back to the track, they had been walking for just under ten minutes, the path was slightly angled but nothing she should be breaking a sweat over. Matsuri and Harumin where already 20 yards ahead of them, and Yuzu could hear them laughing and talking happily, something she didn't have the courtesy of doing at the minute.

Mei although worried for the blonde continued to walk, she listened to the rigid breathing of the blonde for 10 more minutes until they came to the bottom of a rather large hill. The path they followed was surrounded by forestry and Mei could see that the area around the path lasted for quite some time, the distant sound of rushing water could be heard faintly over Yuzu's horse-like breathing.

"You've got to be freekin kidding me," Yuzu exclaimed as she defeatedly eyed the sloping path that lay before them, her breath was ragged and her throat was dry. "Nope, sorry Yuzu, when we are walking up we can look for places so we don't have to go all the way to the top but all the replies online say that the bests spots are at the top," Harumin gave Yuzu an apologetic smile. Even from the distance she was standing she could see the sweat trickling down Yuzu's forehead and temples, the afternoon sun didn't do anything to ease her suffering.

"Come on Yuzu, You're making yourself appear weak in front of Mei. I hope your stamina in the bedroom is better than this," Matsuri smirked at Yuzu who reluctantly started on the hill, Matsuri skipped up the path as she looked down to a dying Yuzu and Mei who didn't stop looking at her girlfriend.

"Shut it," Yuzu snapped back, she didn't have the excess breath to waste on responding to Matsuri's taunts. Hearing the traitorous laughter of Harumin, Yuzu snorted and pushed forward.

10 minutes later Matsuri found a large clearing in the forest, they could hear running water so they would have to go and find it later but it seemed like a good place to set up camp. They still had about an hour and a half until the sun went down, they had to set up, get firewood and try and make something for dinner in the short time they had left.

"Finally," Yuzu exhaled as she fell to her knees before dropping to her backside, she breathed painfully as she tried to regain her breath. She lifted her bag from her shoulders and wriggled free of the tent, letting it smack of the ground, Yuzu flopped back leaning against it. She stared up at Mei who was standing over her, "You should be more careful Yuzu, you only bought that yesterday, if you're not careful you're going to break it," Mei said as she also removed her bag and laid it down on a nearby rock, trying her best to keep it out of the dirt.

"Yeah I know, but a little fall isn't going to break this thing," Yuzu reached up with one hand signalling for Mei to pull her up, when she was on her feet and had regained her breath she turned to Matsuri. "Where are you pitching your tent?" Yuzu asked, her reply was being pointed in the direction of Harumin who already had the bag open and was starting to piece together the poles.

"Okay, well Mei and I will put ours up over here and we can set up the campfire in the middle. How's that sound?" Yuzu said and got a swift reply from Matsuri who wandered over to help a struggling Harumin.

While clearing a patch to pitch their tent, Yuzu gestured to Mei, "Hey Mei can you bring the tent over?" Yuzu hearing a loud grunt and looked up to find Mei waddling over with the tent smacking off her shins.

"Jesus Yuzu, this thing weighs more than you. Why didn't you ask for help when carrying it? It's no wonder you where sweating so much," Mei asked as she tried to lay the bag down gently but couldn't help the thud as gravity pulled it down.

"Pfft, what are you talking about, it wasn't even that heavy. I didn't want to make you carry it, it was my choice to buy it so I should carry it," Yuzu smiled at Mei as she unzipped the bag.

"You didn't have to do that, I know I didn't want to come originally but you didn't have to do it by yourself, you could have asked. Anyway, how're your shoulders?" Mei stood behind Yuzu, lightly massaging her shoulders stopping the blonde from unpacking the tent.

"Mmhm that feels great Mei, can you do it a little harder?" Yuzu let out a moan as Mei worked on her bruising shoulders, Mei a little firmer with her hands smiled at the low sigh of relaxation that left Yuzu's mouth.

"Right guys, how about we leave the moaning till you're in the tent? That's if you even manage to stay off each other long enough to put it up," Mei didn't move away but stopped her movements on the blonde's shoulders long enough to look over at Matsuri, who was smirking ruthlessly at the pair.

"I'll make her moan whenever I please," Mei gave Yuzu's shoulders one more hard rub making Yuzu let out a slight whimper, "See." Mei smiled at Matsuri and Harumin who both giggled at Yuzu, who was flushed in the face and trying to pull out the parts from the bag to distract herself.

"Mei stop teasing me and help with the tent," Yuzu, who was still a rosy pink, said while tipping the contents of the bag onto the forest floor while inspecting the instructions.

"Yeah, sorry couldn't help myself," Mei apologised with a smirk but got a glare from the blonde. As much as she loved having her shoulders being rubbed or moaning out Mei's name, she didn't want to do it in front of Matsuri who wouldn't pass up the opportunity to tease.

"Do you even know how to build a tent, I think I should read the instructions," Mei said but she was already reaching for the paper in Yuzu's hands. "Yes I have, Mama used to bring me camping all the time when I was younger, so I'll keep them and you can just follow _my_ instruction," Yuzu sat back and browsed the glossy parchment. The tent wasn't super fancy, it slept 4 people and was waterproof, Yuzu knew how to put it together without even looking at the instructions.

20 minutes later Yuzu and Mei were standing proudly at their newly made tent while Matsuri and Harumin where having a slightly harder time. "It's going to be dark soon, can you help them set it up, it should be pretty similar to ours? I'm going to go and collect firewood," Yuzu smiled at Mei who agreed and made her way over to help the two girls, while Yuzu made her way into the forest.

Ten minutes later Yuzu had returned with arms full of sticks and twigs, While the other three were setting up a circle of stones in the centre of the two tents. Placing the wood down, she started to place dry grass and small sticks in the centre of the stone patch. Putting several slightly larger sticks angled upwards over them, she lit the dried plants, blowing lightly when they caught fire. Within minutes the fire was alight and Yuzu could feel the warm heat on her face.

"I'm gonna go out and get some more wood, this will probably only last us a couple of hours and I don't want to go and get more when it's dark." Smiling she turned to around and headed back into the thick forestry. Mei jumped to her feet at the announcement and jogged after Yuzu, "Hey I'll help you, I can carry some of it and it will save time," Smiling she took Yuzu's hand as they walked away leaving the others at the fire.

"Be honest, you just didn't want to be left alone with Matsuri," Yuzu smirked at Mei as she bent down and placed a piece of wood in Mei's open arms. Mei chuckled, "Was I that obvious? I tried to be discrete,"

"If by discrete you mean running after me into the forest, yeah you totally were," Yuzu smirked as she handed another piece of dry wood into Mei's growing pile. "Not that I mind, both you and Harumin have never been camping before and Matsuri isn't much help, so I can't exactly tell you guys to go and get wood. You would probably bring the wrong stuff back and it would just smoke and not actually light. So I appreciate the company and the help," Beaming brightly she gave Mei a peck on the lips before passing her another piece of wood.

Mei smiled at her but looked down at the wood she was carrying, then down at the floor. There was no difference it was all just bits of bark, "Wait, you mean you aren't just picking up random pieces of wood?" Mei's question which resulted in a hearty laugh from Yuzu, "You just proved my point entirely Mei. No, I'm only picking up certain types of wood." Yuzu chuckled as she walked away from a pouting Mei, _you didn't need to be so blunt about it._

"Well, what's the difference then Mr Knowitall?" Mei asked in a snarky voice as she followed Yuzu. Yuzu raised her brow at the challenge, did Mei really think she was just making it up to make herself sound better? Grinning Yuzu picked up a thick branch from the ground, her fingers sinking slightly into the layer of moss and wet dirt that covered it.

"Mei, would you put this on the fire, if so why?" Yuzu asked as she shifted her weight into her hip, still smiling at Mei, who nodded immediately. "Yeah, I mean it's a big log and would burn for longer, would it not give the fire more fuel or whatever?" Yuzu grinned at her answer, this was making her feel better than she thought it would.

"Nope. Wrong. Well partly, if it were a larger fire like a bonfire you use large logs, but we only have a small firepit. You aren't supposed to use really big logs, you have to start with small twigs and sticks and then once it's really burning you have to add slightly larger ones. If you put big ones on straight away it will just kill the fire. _Aannd_ this log is soaking wet, it's taken in lots of moister from the ground and is covered in moss. That means that although it might burn, the flames will be much smaller and it will produce a whole lot more smoke, which is bad for us and the environment." Yuzu finished by throwing the log to the ground and turning back to Mei, who looked at her sceptically.

Mei couldn't pinpoint the exact trait, but something about Yuzu walking through the woods, knowing exactly what she was looking for, surprised Mei, turned her on. Moreover, Yuzu wiping her dirty hands on her shorts, lit a fire inside Mei. Her girlfriend was showing a rugged, strong, knowledgeable side, the sight of her hot, dirty girlfriend was having a bigger impact on Mei that she would have imagined. She could feel the tips of her ears brighten as different lewd scenarios ran through her mind.

Yuzu, however, showed no indication of acknowledging Mei's fantasies as she continued to scour the floor for ideal sticks. Mei slowly walked after her girlfriend, images still going through her head as her feet went on autopilot. _I could drop the sticks, push her up against the rock, push against her, touch her, kiss her, take her right here._ That was until she heard a loud crack and felt her body fall forwards, all the branches fell from her grasp to the floor and she followed suit.

Yet she didn't make contact, instead, she felt the soft arms wrapped around her torso. "C'mon Mei be careful, are you even watching where you're putting your feet? You need to be careful, some of the fallen trees are withered and dried up inside and can't support much weight. Watch out next time," Yuzu pulled Mei to her feet and checked her for any injuries.

That was the final straw for Mei, first, she was hot, nerdy and dirty, and now she was catching her, literally saving her. Mei's wandering mind rapidly made up a thousand more carnal scenes. She couldn't hold back, rushing forwards she clasped a hand on the blondes neck the other on her cheek and pulled her in for a rushed kiss.

Her soft lips crashed uncaringly against the blonde, she could still taste the salt on Yuzu's skin from her vigorous exercise earlier. Pushing her tongue against Yuzu's lips commanding entry, which in a matter of seconds she got. Mei's tongue darted into Yuzu's mouth, the hot, warm wet mouth that drove Mei mad. Their tongues danced in a ferocious battle as Mei established her dominance, she felt Yuzu groan into the kiss as she slid a hand under the dirty shirt; groping the soft flesh.

Mei pulled back, her eyes quickly checking the area, they were completely covered by the thick trees and just to her left, there was a large boulder. Perfect. Without a word Mei ripped the shirt from Yuzu's body and pushed her back against the rock, she heard Yuzu hiss as her exposed back was smacked into the hard surface. Mei didn't give, connecting their lips together again. Mei's tongue was in Yuzu's mouth before she even had time to register it, and was releasing a mixture of groaning from pleasure and hissing from the pain in her back.

Mei's hands moved quickly, she already had the erect nipples in her fingers and was pinching them through the fabric of Yuzu's bra, breaking the intense kiss Yuzu let out a well-needed moan, arching her torso into Mei. "Mei, what are you, aaugh doing?" Yuzu managed to pull her mind together long enough to put a sentence together. Mei, however, pushed Yuzu's bra up exposing her breasts, immediately taking one in her mouth she felt the nub harden as she sucked mercilessly on it, while simultaneously thumbing the other one.

"Ughh...Meii!" Yuzu almost screamed when Mei bit down on her pulsing nipple. Wrapping two hands into Mei's hair Yuzu gripped hard, she heard a grunt from Mei and felt her bite the skin a little harder. Yuzu's bottom lip disappeared into her mouth as she tried to muffle her cries, her back arching at the feeling; pushing the breast harder against Mei.

Releasing the nipple she relished the look on Yuzu's face as the wind blew across her wet nipped, a shiver extend through her entire body. Mei's breath was harsh but she was firm nun the less, "You Yuzu, acting so confident," Mei sucked on the hollow of her throat, "And venturous, really, really turned me on. You getting down n dirty," another tongue kiss to the neck, her hands caressing Yuzu's hips running them along the waistband of her shorts. "Knowing about and being comfortable in the wilderness, I couldn't resist," With a final lick of her neck Mei captured Yuzu's lips again, however, this time Yuzu was participating much more, fighting Mei harder for the leading role, which she failed at gaining. Her back scratched into the rock, her tongue sucked on by Mei, her shorts now at her ankles.

Mei was moving fast, regaining a nipple in her hand and massaging lightly, her other one trailed Yuzu's taught torso playing with the edge of the lace panties. Yuzu knowing what she was waiting for, gave a quick nod into the kiss allowing Mei's hand to venture further down.

Sliding over the underwear she could feel Yuzu's arousal as the soaked fabric rubbed against her fingers, running her fingers over the full length of Yuzu's pussy, Mei released Yuzu's tongue for a lick of her neck. "You're so wet, you must really be enjoying yourself," Mei's sultry voice rang like angel bells in Yuzu's ears.

"Fuck Mei, don't stop," Yuzu's hips ground against Mei's fingers, her chest was heaving and she could feel herself regain a small layer of sweat on her forehead. Mei's hand slipping beneath the fabric shield making contact with the drenched slick lips. Not yet ready to enter her girlfriend Mei continued to stroke the lubricated folds, occasionally running against the underside of her clit. Yuzu moaned once again, everytime those fingers brushed her clit it was like little bolts of electricity shot through her body, turning her into a non-functioning mess.

"Keep it down, Matsuri and Harumin are going to hear you if you continue to be that loud," Mei although she said this bit into the girl's neck and watched as she bit down on her lower lip trying to muffle her scream.

"Please...Mei," Yuzu didn't need to say anymore, Mei's long fingers travelled down to her dripping opening. Skipping their usual first step, Mei pushed two fingers deep inside Yuzu. The hot walls clamping down on her fingers sparked the tingling feeling between her legs, her thighs brushing together.

Yuzu's hand flew to cover her mouth, her moan loud enough that Mei could still hear it clearly even whilst being covered.

"Ahh fuck Mei, warn me next time you pull something like that," Yuzu cursed as she tried to regain herself, Mei, however, made it difficult as she pulled her fingers out of the blonde, pushing in hard again, her palm smacking against the soaked lips. Yuzu's knees quaked at the motion as she bit down again on her lip, the sound of Mei's fingers clearly audible to anyone in the vicinity.

"Why would I warn you, when I could see you react like that?" Mei purred soft into Yuzu's ear, encasing the lobe with her mouth. With her movements slightly more recurring, Mei found Yuzu's hips pulling down every time to meet her thrusts, forcing the long fingers deeper inside her.

"Harder Mei," _That I can definitely do._ Roughly dragging her fingers out she thrust them forcefully into Yuzu, repeatedly curling her fingers as she continued. Yuzu was breathing heavily and was relying on the rock behind her, and Mei's second hand to keep herself standing. Yet even when her legs where about to give out she wanted more.

"Fuck me faster Mei! More," Yuzu could hardly get the whole sentence out before Mei's pace rapidly increase. Her whole body grated against the rock as Mei's unyielding, sharp fucks penetrated her. Letting out moan after moan she clamped against Mei's fingers, she was on the verge of cumming all over Mei's digits.

"Ahh Mei, I'm gonna...Cum," Hearing those words was like magic to Mei, her hands moved with precise muscle memory as they fingered just inside Yuzu, hitting her just in the right place. Yuzu clasped onto Mei's back, her teeth biting into the covered shoulder as her whole body convulsed, and twitched every inch Mei slowly removed her fingers. She heard Mei grunt at being bitten so hard but done nothing to stop the blonde. Trying to stand on her own she stepped off Mei who was still lightly kissing her neck, but betrayed by her legs started falling to the dirt floor.

"Watch out, you aren't dressed, you can't fall, not yet," Mei caught Yuzu by the arms and pulled her back up to a standing position, while holding her hips firmly with her hands, she then ran her hands slowly down the blond's long smooth legs. Reaching her feet, she grabbed the shorts that lay in a heap and quickly tugged them up her legs. Stopping her speed slightly as she made contact with Yuzu's still sensitive area, she pulled them up rubbing them against the blonde's sex, before fastening them. Another moan was released from Yuzu as the fabric rubbed against her.

Legs finally giving out; she slipped to the ground. Mei followed as she grabbed the blonde's shirt, dusting it before slipping it over her head.

"Tsk, be-be careful Mei," Yuzu although was still panting with halved lidded eyes still managed a sting to her voice as Mei tugged her shirt over her back. Mei, however, didn't notice the raw red scratches on the silk-skin until now, she traced them lightly with her fingers. They weren't very deep, more like grazings but Mei still felt a wave of guilt flood over her.

"Sorry, why didn't you say anything?" Mei asked as she lightly drew the t-shirt down to cover the flesh. Yuzu turned to Mei and grinned, "Who said I didn't like it," Yuzu gave Mei a toothy grin as she leant in for another kiss. "What about you? You seemed pretty eager there?" Yuzu asked as she sat back against the rock, wincing slightly.

"You can help me out later, I think I would prefer not to be so close to mud and dirt," Giving Yuzu a quick wink she sat back on her hands and marvelled at her work. She felt a little bit of pride at making Yuzu lose her balance, not that she would say that out loud.

"We really should get back soon or Matsuri will have something to say when we get back," Yuzu smiled at Mei who got to her feet to help Yuzu off the floor. Brushing themselves clean, Yuzu leant down and started pilling the sticks back into Mei's arms.

Collecting her own arm full of sticks they made their way back to camp, they could hear laughing and low moans coming from the make-shift site. Yuzu giggled, "Looks like she was too busy to notice how long we were gone," Yuzu smiled at Mei who chuckled lightly.

"Ahem," Yuzu cleared her throat as she loudly dropped the firewood down next to the depleting fire. Mei laughed as Matsuri practically leapt from her straddling position on Harumi's legs, who was wearing a light blush.

"Hey, you're back," Matsuri stuttered as she sat back down next to Harumin, slightly further away than before.

"Yeah we got enough wood to last till late tonight, so we should be good till tomorrow. Not that you would have noticed," Yuzu teased as she cautiously sat down at the fire, followed by Mei.

"Did you start on dinner preparations while we were out or just..." Mei asked as she gestured to the two, both blushed furiously at Mei's working attempt to tease the two.

"Ehh no, we were waiting for Yuzu since she is the best cook," Harumin answered, not making direct eye contact with Mei. Yuzu chuckled dryly at the comment, "See what I mean Mei? Just like I told you before; I can't ask for help cuz no one knows how to do anything," Yuzu gave a dramatic sigh before getting to her feet.

"I'll go get some stuff from my bag, give me two minutes, Mei come and help me and can you two restock the fire, it's gonna go out if you don't keep an eye on it." Yuzu said as she walked toward her tent. Once she was inside she unzipped her large bag and raked around until she found the supplies she was looking for.

"What are you looking for?" Yuzu asked as she watched Mei strategically remove things from her organised bag, still confused when Mei help up a small tube.

"Take Your shirt off," Mei's words made Yuzu turn pink, even if they had just had amazing sex in the woods, Mei being so blunt still made her frazzled.

"Wh-what why?" Yuzu said as she gripped tighter to her shirt, Mei smirked at her lover's reaction, "So I can put ointment on your cuts, they won't get better fast if you just leave them," Mei wafted the tube in the air and got out some cleansing wipes from her bag as well. Yuzu grinned, slightly embarrassed, and lifted her top over her head, "Did you pack the whole house in there?" She chuckled but drew a sharp breath when she felt the cold wipe make contact with her raw skin.

"Shit that hurts Mei," Yuzu cried as she lurched forward, "Well I can't help it. Stop moving you are just making it worse. I have to clean it before putting the cream on, or it will just get infected," Mei continued to wipe the scratches that covered Yuzu's back not giving into the blondes whines. When she was finally done, she let it partially dry before letting Yuzu put her shirt back on. She stood up and extended her hand to Yuzu,

"C'mon, let's go get dinner. I'm starving," Yuzu grinned at her words and jumped up, still holding the food in her arms.

* * *

 _ **Thanks for reading, let me know what you think.**_

 _ **Hope you liked it, :)**_


	12. Misunderstandings

The fire was blazing strong while the four girls sat around it, it was pitch dark and the stars were in full bloom. Matsuri, although had intended to be sociable and talk to the others, had found it growingly painful not to be on her phone. Sitting with one earphone in and her phone in her hands, she leant back into Harumins shins who was sitting in a fold-out chair.

Yuzu sat sideways in a similar chair a meter away, her back leaning on one armrest, her legs dangling over the other. Mei was sat leaning back into Yuzu, her legs crossed on top of the blondes while reading a book, Yuzu's hands lying on Mei's stomach lightly patting her thumbs and fingers. Mei's book light slightly disturbed Yuzu as she tried to enjoy the light from the campfire but she didn't let on.

While the two less sociable girls amused themselves Yuzu and her best friend had a well-needed catch up; latest gossip about who got together with who or who had kids, Yuzu medical program and Harumi's family. The two chatted amicably for hours while Mei and Matsuri occasionally spoke up about certain topics.

"Yeah, I know It's kinda normal but has she really already had two kids? She's got to be what, 21 now?" Yuzu asked a nodding Harumin, who was playing with strands of pink hair.

"Yeah, I saw her last week. Her kids were adorable but c'mon, she has practically sold her life away for the next 16 years. The worst part is I heard that her husband is actually seeing someone else. It was an arranged marriage but that's still pretty low if you ask me, leaving her with the kids while he's away getting some," Harumin nodded to herself before looking back to Yuzu, who watched in shock as Matsuri allowed Harumin to actually fiddle with her hair. If she had tried to play with the girl's hair she would most definitely have been swatted away, even in high school Matsuri loved attention but wouldn't let her touch her hair in such a way.

"Ahem. May I remind you insensitive people that had things played out ever so slightly different, I would probably be in the same position. An unhappy, non-functioning marriage, possible children, no life of my own. All at the age of 20." Mei had looked up from her book and was glancing at Harumin with a raised eyebrow.

She felt the blonde tense slightly under her, her fingers stilled for the first time at her words but Yuzu didn't say anything, instead, Harumin was the one who spoke up. Mei assumed Yuzu was giving her a 'Get me out of this' look. "Ehh, yeah sorry Mei. But that didn't happen you have Yuzu and you're happy, so its all good right?" She let out a strangled chuckle with her words, hoping that Mei would just go back to her book.

Mei gave her one last look, "Yes," before going back to her book, where she felt the body beneath hers relax again. The fingers started up again returning to their relaxed playing pattern and she felt Yuzu pull in closer to her, "Sorry," Yuzu's voice was soft and calm making a small smile appear on Mei's face.

"Matsuri what time is it?" Yuzu asked, after a few moments Matsuri looked up from her phone. "Eleven fifty-three, not that late." She said before turning back to the glowing screen, her fingers moving rapidly.

"It's late enough, we need to go to sleep if we want to get up at a decent time tomorrow," Harumin said as she plucked the phone from the younger girls grasp, turning the phone off as she brought it to her lap.

"What the fuck Harumi! Give it back I'm gonna die!" Matsuri shouted as she scrambled to her feet prying at Harumi's hands. 30 seconds later Matsuri finally retrieved the phone, quickly turning it on she glanced over the screen before scowling at her smirking girlfriend. "Fuck sake Harumi, don't touch my phone when I'm using it. I was about beat my high score!" Matsuri scrunched her face up a still chuckling Harumin.

"Okay whatever you say, let's go to bed. We'll see you guys bright and early," Harumin smiled at the two before walking to her tent while Matsuri continued to brief her on the rules of touching her phone.

"Hmm she really hasn't changed much, are you ready to go to bed?" Yuzu asked, her fingers still playing on Mei's stomach. Mei nodded, unfolded her legs and sat up on the blonde's stomach. She sat for a few moments as she closed her book and allowed her eyes to adjust to the darker environment. Yuzu shuffled uncomfortably beneath her, trying to breathe while also continuing to tense her stomach so Mei didn't completely crush her.

"Mei hurry up and get off," Yuzu's voice was strained as she looked pleadingly to Mei. Mei turned to her with a smug smile, purposely moving her hips more than necessary, "What are you trying to say? Am I too heavy?" Pouting she flicked her head away from the blonde as she got up and stared down at her.

Yuzu could see the playful sparkle in Mei's eyes and knew she was joking, but she decided to play it safe and not make any jokes about her girlfriend's weight. That could, and most likely would end very badly for Yuzu. Jumping up from the seat she placed both her hands on Mei's waist.

"Of course not, if you were would I be able to do this?" Yuzu wore a toothy grin as she slid her hands over Mei's backside to the top of her tighs and effortlessly hoisted Mei onto her own hips. One arm wrapped around the small of her back the other reached over her back to her shoulder, "Or this?" Bending forward, she tipped Mei so she was horizontal to the floor and placed several kisses to the exposed neck and chest. Yuzu felt the legs around her tighten as she continued to hold Mei over the ground.

"Okay okay! Bring me back up!" Mei laughed as she clutched tightly onto Yuzu's shoulders, her face buried in the crook of her girlfriend's neck in attempts to stay as far away from the dirt as possible. Yuzu immediately pulled back up, her cheeks a little red from the strain but she cheesed at Mei nun the less.

"See, never too heavy," She placed a quick kiss on Mei's smiling lips before dropping her to her feet, "I've got to put the fire out, do go you wanna go and set up the sleeping bags?" Yuzu asked as she picked up a large bucket of water. Getting a swift reply from Mei she moved over and carefully put out the flames, being sure to mix all the ashes with soil and extinguish all the cinders from the logs.

Yuzu, as she walked with the assistance of a flashlight to the tent, heard Mei mumbling to herself, "This won't do...No, not like that...hmm... share...no..." As her jumbled nonsense went on Yuzu finally walked in to see Mei with both their sleeping bags unfolded and sprawled out on the floor.

"I could have sworn I said set the sleeping bags up not ransack them," Yuzu watched as Mei didn't even flinch at her comment only continued to manoeuvre the beds. "Well I don't know about you, but I don't want to sleep alone and was trying to think of a way which will keep heat in but also give us enough room. We can't just share one because there won't be enough space but if we open them like this" Mei held up an unzipped bag to Yuzu, "Then I think all the heat will be let out," Mei sat on her heels as she doubtingly eyed the blankets.

True Yuzu hadn't thought about the sleeping arrangement and had just packed a single sleeping bag, much like Mei had done. But it wasn't like they were going to be ruffling the covers and moving a lot, so just using it as a duvet should be fine.

"I think that it will be fine, just lay them out open and we will just use it like our bedsheets at home. And if I get cold I'll just cuddle you for warmth," Yuzy gave her iconic smile as she helped Mei lay out the sheets. Changing into some more comfortable Yuzu watched and waited for Mei to do the same, Yuzu lay under the sleeping bag her, arms slack behind her head as she leant on the pillow. She had a devious grin on her face as she admired Mei bending down in only her panties to get some warmer trousers.

"You know Mei, I don't know if I have ever told you this, but you have an amazing ass. Like it's _really_ nice, irresistible even," Yuzu said, putting emphasized the word 'really', Mei spun around at the words, cotton bottoms in hand. Her cheeks now as red as roses she quickly tugged her trousers on.

"T-thanks," Mei stuttered as she slipped under the makeshift quilt, laying down next to Yuzu. Propping herself up on one elbow Yuzu observed Mei's flushed face, "I don't know why you're blushing so hard, I mean I have seen and touched that perfect, firm round ass a hundred times. There's no reason for you to get so embarrassed." Yuzu said as she ran her hand over Mei's stomach, slipping it around her hip and grabbed the previously spoken of cheek through the cotton joggers.

"Mhm Yuzu! We can't do that right now, Matsuri and Harumin are literally 20 meters away." Mei let out a small squeak at the blondes action before coming to her senses, hastily removing the hand off her cheek and placing it back on her stomach. Yuzu let out a small groan as she slumped back into the pillow, her body making a dull thud as she made contact with the floor.

"That's not fair, You said I could do you 'later', now is later and you're saying no. That's mean Mei, first you fuck me in the middle of the woods, scratch my back, make me go through the gruelling pain of putting ointment on, plus, now you won't even let me get you back. That's shitty." Drawing her hand off Mei's exposed torso she folded them over her chest, letting out a small grumble.

Mei instantly sat up, gaping incredulously at the blonde who was now looking away, refusing to make eye contact. _She is really doing this right now, right here, for god's sake Yuzu. Ridiculous._

"You can sulk and give me attitude all you want I don't care, we're not doing it here. When I said later I assumed you would make your move when we were alone, not within earshot of our friends. Also, I know you're in a pissy mood now, but please don't use language like that unless it's necessary." Mei remarked saltily as she laid back down, turning away from the blonde. She was well aware that she had just contradicted herself by cursing, but she couldn't help it, Yuzu was being irrational and childish.

Yuzu was a little shocked by what Mei had said, she didn't think Mei would get mad at her, It's not like she had said anything to actually get angry at. _I'm not in a pissy mood, I'm annoyed._ Yuzu snorted to herself turning away from Mei, if she wants to act like this then that's what she'll get.

Pulling the cover close to her Yuzu tucked them under her chin trying to comfort herself, the tent was filled with an awkward silence that neither of the two wanted to break.

"Night," Mei gave Yuzu the single word before shuffling into a final position still with her back to the blonde. After several seconds of contemplating Yuzu gave a similar response before the night went silent again.

"Goodnight Mei,"

*.

"Yuzu get up! Harumi and I are going for a walk, do you want to come?" Matsuri said as she banged on the side of the tent. Groggily opening her eyes Yuzu reached for her phone, 09:13. _Shit, I should have been up before now, why didn't Mei's alarm go off?_

"Mei, get up we slept in," sitting up Yuzu wiped her eyes before reaching out to the space beside her, though her hand found nothing to grip onto. Her eyes snapping open she looked to her right, the 'bed' was empty, Mei wasn't in the tent.

Chucking the sleeping bag to the side she scrambled to get some clothes on, "Two minutes, sorry," she gave the delayed reply as she pulled on fresh pants and socks, yanking her boots onto her feet she practically jumped out of the tent.

"Sorry, Mei set an alarm but she didn't wake me up. Do you know where she is?" Yuzu scanned the campsite and found no sign of Mei. She stared at the two fully dressed and awake girls who were looking between each other curiously. Matsuri shrugged prompting Harumin to step forward.

"Yeah, Mei has been up for a couple hours, she made breakfast like an hour ago when we got up then went for a shower in the waterful like 20 minutes ago. Did something happen with you two?" Harumi placed a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder. Mei had acted fine this morning, they had both thought that Yuzu had said she wanted more sleep and that's why she didn't get up with Mei.

"Nothing really, Mei's just being overly sensitive about some crap I said last night. But I should probably apologize before I'm in the doghouse for the rest of the trip," Yuzu said, giving a dry laugh toward the end. Matsuri's eyes widened as she made gestures for Yuzu to stop talking, which she didn't notice until she had finished talking to Harumi.

"What Matsuri?" Harumin spoke irritatedly, "Can't you see I'm trying to talk to Yuzu?" Yuzu also looked at her with a raised eyebrow. She didn't reply just looked past them with an apologetic sigh.

"She was trying to tell you to stop talking before you dug a bigger hole for yourself," Mei's voice was crisp and sharp, it cut the air like a blade. Yuzu froze.

"Sorry Mei. We're going on a walk, if you need anything call kay," Matsuri gave Mei a small smile before grabbing a gaping Harumi by the arm, pulling her away.

Yuzu slowly turned around to see Mei standing with her dirty clothes and a towel in her hands, scowling coldly at her. _Shit, how do I get out of this one?_

Yuzu opened her mouth several times but each time nothing came out, she didn't know what to say. First, she pissed her off and probably offended her last night, and now she was talking about her behind her back, claiming her to be 'too sensitive'. What could she possibly say right now that didn't make it look like she was grasping at straws to cover her ass?

"So you're going to insult me to our friends then just stand there, nothing else to say? Or do you want me to turn around so you can say it behind my back?" Yuzu could practically taste the poison that laced her girlfriend's words, that position seeped into her like a finely cut blade. _Great now_ _Mei thinks I slag her off behind her back. Shit shit shit._

"Mei, I ehh that sounded worse than...ehh, sorry about last night. You were right I was wrong, I didn't think you'd react the way you did. I thought you would make light of it or ye know let me continue, but I didn't think you would actually get mad. Then I was annoyed cuz you said I was in a pissy mood when I wasn't as well as warning me about my language, it just annoyed or maybe irritated me." Yuzu hadn't moved, there was still several meters between the two and Mei's stare hadn't weakened, instead, Yuzu saw it harden at her words. _Yup definitely sounds like I'm covering._

 _"_ So, I was ''overly sensitive'' to you last night trying to guilt trip me into having sex, I irritated you when I retaliated and then when I didn't wake you up, it gave you the right to bad mouth me to our friends. Even more so you didn't want me to know. Your attempt of getting out of the doghouse as you called it, didn't even scratch the surface. In fact, you probably just added more time to your sentence." Mei, although was fuming, didn't have anywhere to storm off to, they were in the forest where was she supposed to go?

Charging past the shocked-still blonde she dumped her stuff in the tent, grabbed her book and walked back to where she was previously standing. "I'm going back to the waterfall, don't follow me. If they come back before I do let them know where I went, without insulting me if you can," Without another word she left into the woods.

 _Did I actually try and guilt trip Mei into sleeping with me? Tears bubbled and flowed over Yuzu's eyes, her sobs instant as she watched Mei walk away without looking back. She felt horrid, she hadn't thought about it at the time but she had essentially tried to make Mei feel bad for refusing to have sex. What kind of loving girlfriend or person does that, Mei must think I'm disgusting._

In Yuzu's defence, she hadn't meant to guilt trip the raven-haired girl in that way. Given, her tone wasn't full of laughter and she wasn't looking at Mei but she didn't intend for it to come across as cold-hearted blackmail. She wasn't upset enough about not having sex to intentionally use Mei's words against her, she had hoped that Mei would rethink or make a joke of her actions. The thought of forcing Mei or having unwanted sex with her made Yuzu feel sick, did Mei really think she would want to do something like that?

Or perhaps Mei was more annoyed at the fact that she had said that Mei was the one in the wrong to their friends, or maybe because she hadn't apologised last night. But of all these the first was the worst. Yuzu could handle Mei being mad at her for taking to long to apologise, likewise, she could get Matsuri and Harumi or even their college friends to vouge for her about talking about Mei behind her back. Yuzu hardly ever said something bad about Mei to one of her friends. Yes, she would sometimes call Harumi after they had had an argument and claim that Mei was clearly in the wrong, but she never said anything that would actually count as insulting her. So that could be cleared up relatively easy as well, but how was she supposed to tell Mei that she didn't mean to and would never think about sleeping with her under such conditions?

Yuzu was now sitting hunched over on a tree stump, her crying never stopped as she continued to think about Mei believing she would do such a thing. She wanted to run after Mei, wrap her in a tight hug and apologise until her throat hurt but she couldn't. Mei had made it very clear she was furious at her and didn't want to see her.

Mei had never looked at Yuzu the way she had earlier, previous arguments had nothing on this one. When Yuzu had been upset and lied to Mei about it, Mei had hurt and pain in her watering eyes, but nowhere in her eyes did Yuzu see pure anger or distaste. Not like now, she had given Yuzu and unsettlingly cold glare, her face was emotionless however her eyes spoke mountains to Yuzu. They had an intensified pain accompanied by the anger that was spattered with a nauseating distance. Although it wasn't all-consuming, Yuzu knew that Mei was deeply offended at her actions whether she had meant them or not, now Yuzu felt she was looking at her with disgust.

Surely Mei was blowing this out of proportion, she couldn't hate her for a simple misunderstanding, she wouldn't leave her simply because Yuzu had spoken without thinking it through properly. As the thought ran through her mind Yuzu's eyes snapped open, _Mei_ wouldn't _leave me,_ right _?_ _No, I can't let her leave me over this._

Confirming that she wouldn't lose Mei over what had started as a petty argument, Yuzu quickly got to her feet, and through blurry vision ran into the forest. The waterfall was about 6 or 7 minutes if you walked but Yuzu didn't feel like she had that time, she had already left Mei for over half an hour what if she was actually thinking about breaking up with her over this.

Yuzu's eyes continued to pour liquid, clouding her vision, she felt several branches scratch across her bare arms and legs along with her face. She didn't care, she didn't even feel them, her one incentive was to get to Mei; apologise and hope that she could make Mei see that she hadn't meant to make her feel guilty. Pray that Mei still loved her.

Yuzu could hear the river clearly, surely Mei was close. Picking up her pace she moved her legs as fast as her sobbing body would allow, she could see the river and clearing up ahead. Her chest tightened as the possibility of Mei's rejection grew nearer, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand she took the last step into the clearing. Well, the last fall.

Yuzu's uncoordinated body dove forward, her foot caught on the snapped branch of an upturned tree trunk; sending her falling for the ground. Her elbows dug into the hardened floor along with her knees, covering her bare flesh in the dirt. Her elbows and knees now staved, she looked a mess; eyes were swollen, cheeks tear-stained, arms and legs covered in scratches now her knees and forearms where staved and Yuzu could feel them starting to bruise.

"Fuck sake," Yuzu shouted to herself, turning on her bottom to clasp her pained knees, her sobs catching in her throat as she tried to bite back any more cursing or whines. Making a quick recovery Yuzu got to her feet and examined the river bed, Mei wasn't there.

Yuzu looked to her right, the forest cleared substantially to expose the cliff edge, the sun poured in through the gaps in the trees and she could see the river falling over the edge of the hill. Maybe Mei wanted more sun or something. With that thought Yuzu burst into her sprint again, she needed Mei to be there, she needed Mei.

When she finally got there her weak legs stopped at the sight of Mei facing her, perched against a rock book in hand. Mei looked up at the noise her puffy eyes widening at the blonde, her eyes instantly flicked over the mud-covered body checking for any serious injuries. Satisfied that she was okay her gaze hardened somewhat again, not as stern as earlier but stern nun the less.

"What are you doing here Yuzu? I'm sure I was very clear about not wanting you here," Mei eyed the blonde, Yuzu's eyes were watering and red, her cheeks still had the odd lingering tear on them. It was obvious to Mei that Yuzu had probably been crying since she left, but it didn't do much to soften her resolve, tears wouldn't fix this.

Yuzu could still hear the anger in Mei's voice, it crushed her. She couldn't take it, she had to tell Mei her thoughts, she wouldn't let Mei sit and make up any more scenarios in her head as she had done. Moving her wavering legs she quickly made her way over to Mei. Collapsing at her feel Yuzu couldn't keep the waterworks closed any longer and once again the tears streamed down her face, clutching onto Mei's legs.

"P-please don't leave me Mei, I didn't mean to make you feel like you had to sleep with me, I-I didn't realise you saw it that way. I-I would never intentionally try and do something like to you and I know you don't think that after last night but I mean it. I'm s-sorry but please Mei, don't leave me. Tell me what to do to make it better and-and I'll do it but you can't leave, anything but that. Please..." Yuzu broke down into an endless stream of tears at the end, her voice was strained as she wept onto Mei's knees, chocking the words through her cries.

Mei, however, was taking her time to process the blonde's words, _What is she talking about? I wouldn't break up with her over something like this._

Mei put a hand on Yuzu's head and waited for her cries to die down a little before she spoke up, "Yuzu I don't know what you have been thinking about but to start with, get it out of your head that I'm leaving you. I wouldn't break up with you over this." Yuzu's head shot up at the words, her nose running her eyes watering, "R-really? You're not gonna leave me?" Yuzu pried at Mei's knees hoping she had heard right.

"No, honestly Yuzu I'm mad at you, I don't hate you. And what made you come to the idiotic conclusion that I think you would force yourself on me? I know you're not like that. Yeah earlier I said that you tried to guilt trip me into doing it, but I know you would never act upon it if you knew I didn't want you to. Not that I've forgiven you for doing that yet, but it had never even crossed my mind that you would force me to do that kind of thing, I know you are better than that." Mei spoke softly as she cupped the scratched face in her hand. She truly didn't know what had wormed its way into Yuzu's head in the past half an hour but nun of it was true in the slightest.

Mei could see the regret in the blonde's eyes and even considered forgiving her for her actions but that was quickly swept away as she took her hand off the blondes face.

"But I'm still mad at you for saying I was being overly sensitive and that you spoke about me behind my back to our friends, I don't understand why you would do that, or what you gain from it." Mei now had her arms crossed on her chest and her eyes never leaving the blondes. Yuzu jerked quickly at the accusation, her hands rising from Mei's knees to provide her argument with gestures.

"I don't slag you off to our friends Mei, the worst thing I have ever said about you was to Harumin like a year or so ago when we moved in together, and you wouldn't let me decorate the bedroom. What you heard this morning was me being mad at you for not waking me up and I didn't know that you felt I was guilt tripping you, I had thought you were just saying no for no reason. So I thought you were overreacting, but I don't think that now, not after hearing what you said earlier. I know I was in the wrong, I should think more about how you will react and what I say." Yuzu tried to make a little smile but she was struggling, she wasn't out of shit creek yet.

"Okay, I'm not finished being mad at you but, I need a hug." Mei placed her book down and pulled herself up onto her knees so she was level with Yuzu, who immediately took her in a needy embrace. Yuzu squeezed her so tight Mei thought she was going to pop a lung. Mei wrapped her arms around the now weeping blonde's neck, she had missed her even if it was just one night.

Yuzu buried her face into Mei's neck, "I'm sorry Mei," Mei nodded lightly and continued to hug her.

After several moments Mei moved away, tracing her hand down one of Yuzu's cut arms.

"You should go and wash before any of this dirt gets into your cuts. Clean up and I'll see about talking to you again," Mei moved away to sit back against the rock, picking up her book she gave the rising blonde one final look before focusing solely on her novel.

"Okay, I'm a bit of a mess right now but I'll be back soon, and Mei." Yuzu stopped and waited for Mei to look up. When she finally had the eye contact she was looking for she started, "I love you," with a faint smile she turned and went.

Yuzu made her way back to camp where she found Matsuri and Harumi sitting on the logs next to the fire. Matsuri was the first to notice her and held a finger up to Harumi, telling her to stop for a moment, "How'd it go, did you make up for your mistake? Mei seemed really pissed at you," Matsuri eyed Yuzu along with Harumi.

"Yeah it went fine I think, I apologised for what I said but she said she is still mad and will be for a little bit, which is understandable. But we hugged it out and she said was willing to forgive me so that's better than I could have hoped for. I thought she was going to dump me right here." Yuzu had a relieved expression and her tone was light, much calmer than when the two had last seen her.

"That's great news, but what exactly did you say to think she was gonna dump you? I feel like you would have to kill someone for that to happen, even then she would probably still help you hide the body," Matsuri laughed as she questioned the blonde. Harumi smiled, she, much like Matsuri wanted to know what was going on but she didn't say it, she knew it was an invasion of privacy. Matsuri did too but she wasn't so scared to ask.

"Umm, I'm not gonna answer that... How was your walk?" Yuzu shuffled uncomfortably on the spot, trying to change the subject.

"It was nice, relaxing. But I'm not sure what you guys want to do now, we have all of tomorrow as well so we should probably just spend some time chilling." Harumi said as she rose from her position to take Matsuri's hand.

"Well I'm going for a shower just now, I fell when walking through the woods earlier, so Mei said I need to make sure no dirt gets in any of the cuts. Plus I really just wanna sit in the water even if it is gonna be cold," Yuzu smiled at the pair as she went to her tent to get some fresh clothes and a towel.

"See even when she's super mad at you she still cares so much. We'll still be here when you get back and we can play some games or something, Kay?" Harumi practically sang the words, she thought Mei was super cute, not in an attractive way-not that she could deny that she was attracted to her physically but who wasn't?- but in an adorable way. Always putting Yuzu before herself, making sure she was okay or going out of her way to do something unnecessary for the blonde. Harumi was somewhat envious of it, not that she would trade her girlfriend for anyone but a little more compassion would be nice. Matsuri spent more time with Mei than she did, surely some of that 'love, romance and unconditional care' would rub off on her, but it never did.

Yuzu gave her a quick smile before heading back to the forest. She reached the waterfall they had found the previous day, it was slightly further upstream than where Mei was currently sitting and was completely covered so no one would see. It wasn't a large waterfall, no more than two meters tall but it didn't matter as it would work for them.

Stripping out of her clothes, Yuzu slowly stepped into the water. The water was slightly warm from the heat but it stung the scrapes along her body. Clicking her tongue at the discomfort she finally submerged herself completely in the look-warm water. Rinsing the dirt that covered her body off, Yuzu sat under the splashing water letting it smack of her back.

 _How long is Mei gonna stay mad at me? I know she's talking to me but having a conversation with a mad Mei is like talking to an NPC, all I get is automated responses. Awkward, boring and worst of all it is soo not fun._

Sighing Yuzu tried to prolong her time in the water, but she eventually had to get out; the water was too cold to actually sit in it for a long period of time

Getting out and getting dried and dressed Yuzu started walking back towards Mei, walking back to drop her clothes off would disturb Matsuri and Harumi but she also couldn't be bothered for the extra 15 minutes of walking.

"Hey, how are you feeling now?" Yuzu shuffled into Mei's view and waited for her response. With only a small smile on her face she looked at Mei, she didn't want to seem too 'okay'. Yuzu knew Mei was still upset, she didn't know how much but she knew it was enough for her not act jolly and happy. That would seem like Yuzu thought everything was fine now, which she knew it wasn't. Not yet.

"Same as before, still annoyed but I know it was a misunderstanding so I can't really continue to be mad. You can sit down if you want. Were the others back from their walk when you went to get your clothes?" Mei's voice was somewhat flat and distant, Yuzu knew she was trying to steer the conversation to something that didn't concern their relationship.

"Yeah they were back, Harumi said it was really relaxing. Maybe we could go on one later today or tomorrow?" Yuzu slowly inched towards Mei's hand as she spoke, when she was finished speaking her fingers lightly brushed Mei's. Mei's hand reclined slightly at the sudden contact, but she soon opened her hand to allow the blonde's fingers to intertwine with her own.

"Yeah," Mei answered before they sat in the uncomfortable silence Yuzu knew was inevitable. She ran her thumb over the back of Mei's hand as she tried to think of a conversation starter. Nothing came to mind, she just wanted to have fun on this trip, but at this rate that wouldn't happen.

"Mei, how long are you going to stay mad? I know I really offended you last night and this morning, but I think things were blown way out of proportion. I mean on both parts, we both misunderstood the other and therefore acted out, me more so than you I admit. But we came on this trip to have fun and spend time together and with Harumi and Matsuri, so do you think you could skip the being mad part till we get home? We should be out here climbing the hills, going fishing or playing in the lake, I don't want this trip to be us fighting. So please, can we spend these next few days being happy then when we walk through the front door of our apartment you can be as mad as you want?" Yuzu squeezed Mei's hand, she honestly didn't think Mei would just let it go but she wanted their first camping trip to be full of fun memories, not fighting over something unthinkably stupid she had said.

Mei watched Yuzu intently, her eyes were fixed on her shoes that dug into the dry mud, her free hand was tapping rapidly, something Mei had noticed she done when she was anxious or scared, and her hand holding Mei's was squeezing tightly.

It was clear that Yuzu really wanted Mei's forgiveness, she could see that. Mei after getting over that initial disappointment of coming wanted to enjoy her time here with the girls. She admitted that it seemed a little wired to postpone her anger till they had gone home, but Mei could see how much Yuzu was struggling to ask her for this.

Getting to get knees, Mei moved over the blonde so that she was straddling her. Placing her hands on either side of the blonde's face, Mei leaned in placing a small kiss on the quivering lips.

When she pulled back Yuzu's eyes were full of confusion, "Okay, we can argue about it when we get home. For now, I think you owe me a relaxing walk," Mei smiled when she saw the face below hers light up.

"Oh my god thank you Mei!" Yuzu exclaimed, lifting her body from the rock she pulled Mei into a slightly more passion filled kiss. When Yuzu felt Mei pull back slightly she instantly let go of her. Yuzu although she trusted that Mei had said the truth, didn't want to prove her earlier thoughts right by making Mei continue the kiss when she wanted to pull away.

The rather abrupt stop left Mei slightly unsatisfied, she wanted the blonde to kiss her hard. If this had been any other day Yuzu would have pulled her in deeper, ran her hands over her body. That's what she wanted, instead, the blonde's actions were reserved and somewhat timid. Mei knew she was only being cautious so Mei wouldn't think she was forcing her to continue the kiss, but she wanted Yuzu to act normal.

"Yuzu... I told you before, you have never once forced me to do anything. You don't need to be so wary, if you didn't pull me in for a kiss until my breath was heavy it wouldn't be any good." Mei ran her hand down the side of the blondes face as she looked straight into the glistening emerald orbs. "We're fine now or at least until we get home, so you don't have anything to worry about. Just act like you normally would and forget about thinking I don't want you to do anything to me. If I want you to stop I'll say so, until then, you do what you think is right. Just like always go with your gut, and kiss me till I'm breathless," Mei waited until she got a small nod from the blonde before pushing herself against her, clasping their lips together.

Yuzu took Mei's words on board and wrapped a hand around Mei's back, one sliding down over her backside and thighs, kissing her fully. Their embrace was not rushed, their lips didn't crash against one another, instead, it was slow, loving and tender.

Yuzu wanted to convey her feeling through the kiss, how much she loved her shown through the way her hand caressed small neck. How much she cared portrayed though how gently she kissed the soft lips. Although it wasn't an extremely heated kiss It went on for quite some time, and the two soon had the need for air.

Yuzu lived for hot, steamy makeout sessions but she enjoyed these more. She loved the way her lips just melted against Mei's, she didn't need to enter Mei's mouth to feel her warmth she could feel the heat from her lips alone. It wasn't as adrenaline packed or fierce but Yuzu loved it, it made her heart race being so close to Mei, to have her lips pressed against her own made her warm inside, it gave her butterflies.

Yuzu once she had pulled away looked, briefly into Mei's eyes before lunging into Mei's body. Bringing her arms around Mei's torso as she buried her nose in the crook of her neck. Squeezing her tight, Yuzu refused to let go. The warmth that radiated from Mei's body was something only she wanted to be able to feel, Yuzu needed that warmth. It made her feel safe and secure, Mei knowing this, pulled her close and soothingly ran her hand over the blondes back.

"Thank you, Mei, I know I'm kinda being a crybaby but I'm so glad you stayed. I don't think you understand just how much I need you." Yuzu held her close as she sat in the warmth of her girlfriend. The words stunned Mei a little, but at the same time, if the blonde needed her just as much as she did the blonde, there was a good chance that the thought of Mei leaving her, even if she had made up the situation in her head would be traumatic for Yuzu.

"Yuzu, you know it would take a whole lot more than an argument to get rid of me. Yeah, I was mad, but there are going to be loads of times where we get mad or frustrated at one another. But given time and space or a good apology, we will work everything out. So next time we fight don't immediately think I'm going to leave you, because I need you just as much as you need me." Mei pried Yuzu off her to look into the watering eyes, she didn't know why Yuzu would think of something so drastic, just the thought of never being able to look into the deep green pools again made Mei shiver.

Giving Yuzu one final peck on the cheek Mei got off the blonde and reached her hand out to help her up. "C'mon we have kept the others waiting long enough," Mei gave Yuzu a rare bright smile as she lent down to help her up, one that Yuzu couldn't help but burst into a grin of her own at. When Mei smiled it was almost contagious for Yuzu, and it was kind of rare for Mei to give Yuzu a large toothy grin but when she did Mei always got an equally large one back from Yuzu.

Taking her hand Yuzu jumped to her feet, clasping tightly onto Mei's arm.

"Everything better?" Matsuri said as she ignored Harumi who had her back to the two girls, Matsuri although had asked it generally was looking Mei in the eye, asking her directly. Since they had met in high school Mei and Matsuri had slowly grown closer to one another. Matsuri called her usually at least once a week and although Mei never called the pink headed girl, Yuzu knew she enjoyed the pointless conversations. It was possible to say that although it had only been 4 years, Mei's friendship with Matsuri ran as deep as the blondes did. Perhaps deeper. That wasn't to say Mei didn't still find her to be annoying at times.

"Everything is great, nothing to worry about. What are we doing now?" Mei gave the concerned girl an honest smile as she walked hand in hand with the blonde. Matsuri looked over at Yuzu and gave a quick nod before turning to Harumi, "Well we were going to play some card or board games, she brought a whole bunch with her," She said as she waved a large bag in the air gesturing to Harumi.

Yuzu gave her an excited response, "I want to play, have you got Monopoly? I'm killer good at that," Yuzu asked as she browsed the bag, but she didn't need an answer as she pulled the cardboard box from the bag, a large grin on her face.

Over two hours later the overly competitive game of Monopoly was finished, Yuzu sat proudly with several properties that were scattered with houses and hotels, while the other three had nothing but dust in their banks.

"I don't like this game," Harumi had gone bankrupt over a half hour ago, her strategies to keep her money without purchasing any buildings proved to be very wrong as the game played out. Mei gave a curt laugh, "Try playing it with her every two weeks, losing every time," Mei felt she had the upper hand when it came to losing to the blonde, Matsuri, however, didn't like losing.

"I'll have you know Mei, I have lost at this particular game for almost 12 years, you have nothing on me," Matsuri puffed her chest out as she packed the game away as if having the highest number of losing matches was something to be proud of.

"And I've won this game since I was old enough to read the instructions," Yuzu grinned at the three losers, she got three cold glares back which only made her smile grow bigger.

"We're going to play a different game, and you are most definitely going to lose," Matsuri said as she emptied the bag of games out onto the floor, looking for one she was confident she was going to win.

* * *

 _ **Hey thanks for reading this chapter, I know some of you were looking for a Yuzu top chapter but hey ho, I felt like throwing something else in, sorry :/ I kinda got a little stuck in this chapter and didn't quite know how diplomatically diffuse the situation, but I wanted to write about the fun stuff that's to happen later on so it had to be resolved somehow. Let me know what you think :)**_


	13. The Jump

It was currently just after 1 pm on Sunday, the four girls were all dress in their swimsuits and walking towards the lake. Yuzu was carrying a bag on her shoulder that contained several floaties and their lunch. She hummed happily as she walked swinging her arm back and forwards. Mei who was not so keen kept pulling at Yuzu's hand in attempts to make her stop the repetitive action.

After they finally made it to the bottom of the hill they saw a large lake surrounded by cliffs and hills.

"Aw yeah, I can't wait to jump into the water I'm freekin boiling," Harumi whined as she approached the cliff edge. She fanned her bare chest with her hands, she was wearing a deep purple two-piece swimsuit, that flaunted her chest, emphasising it's grand size.

"Boiling hot!" Matsuri's voice was sultry yet playful, the smaller hand made contact with her backside giving off a slight clapping sound. Harumi turned around to scold the grinning girl, cheeks burning.

"She's not wrong Harumi, that swimsuit really does bring about your greatest features," Yuzu chipped in still swinging her arm with Mei's. Harumi quickly lost her blush and turned away from her teasing girlfriend to look at the smiling blonde. Running her hands down her sides she casually turned herself to the side; showing her entire body off to Yuzu.

"Are you sure Yuzu? When I bought it I wasn't quite sure that it was the best fit," Harumi asked completely oblivious to the other two girls, Yuzu had her full attention. The blonde made a gesture for her to make a 360 turn, once she had done it and was looking back at the blonde still cautious of her choice, Yuzu nodded.

"Really! The colours go so well with your hair and contrast with your complexion making it eye-catching already, plus the top really does do wonders for you, showing just the right amount of cleavage. I wouldn't worry about the bottoms either, they cling to your form not too much that it makes it look too small but enough that it shows how toned and round you are. I don't think you could have picked a better outfit," Yuzu nodded at her assessment of the brunette, while Harumi took in the information.

Yuzu, after her analysis, felt an uncomfortably tight squeeze on her hand, wincing she turned around to see Mei giving her a warning glare. Mei, although she knew Yuzu was Harumi's best friend and had no sexual feeling towards her, didn't like that Yuzu was looking so intently at someone else's body. Yuzu looked back towards Harumi to see Matsuri giving her an equally threatening glare.

The raw silence drew Harumi away from looking at herself to see Yuzu stuck between two fixed stares. Harumi giggled at the predicament, dropping one arm over the youngest girls shoulder she pulled her in giving her a quick peck to the forehead.

"Lose the territorial crap Matsuri, you know Yuzu didn't mean anything apart from actual fashion advice. Let's go, I wanna be the first to jump," Giving Yuzu a quick smile she turned Matsuri away by the shoulders relieving Yuzu of one of the intense glares.

"C'mon Mei, it's like Harumi said it was purely fashion advice. You and I both know that your body is the only one I want. So let's just leave it at that," Yuzu gave her a quick peck on the cheek as she pulled again on Mei's hand towards where Matsuri and Harumi were chatting on the cliff's edge.

"I don't know Yuzu, it's really high, are you sure it's gonna be safe?" Mei asked she peeked over the edge of the cliff, shivering at the looming jump that awaited her.

"Stop being such a wimp Mei, man up. Ready Harumi?" Matsuri laughed as she took hold of Harumi's hand and back away slightly from the edge, to get a running start. Moments later Mei's eyes went wide as she watched her two friends disappear in front of the cliff, she heard the screams on the way down followed by the splash into the water.

"How about I just find a path to walk down, after all, you can't jump into the water holding all this," Mei gestured to the bag that hung from Yuzu's shoulder. Yuzu, however, placed the bag on the floor and took out the two inflatable balls, wrapping the box inside with the bag.

"I can just hold these in one hand, and we can just leave lunch up here, after all, we are going to come back to this point anyways so we find our way back. You can't get out of this Mei, now take my hand and get ready to jump." Yuzu beamed at Mei as she stuck her hand out for the younger girl to take it.

Mei although reluctant took, the blonde's hand, "Okay," Mei's voice was trembling and it was clear that she was scared. Yuzu turned to give her a small kiss on the lips before she slowly started running towards the edge, Mei moments behind.

* * *

 _ **Sorry for the extremely short chapter, I kinda lost the passion for the camping trip after I wrote the last chapter. So this is all I could bring myself to write, but fear not Yuzu will make her move in the next chapter. There shall be Yuzutop!**_

 _ **Anyways hope you enjoyed and look forward to the next chapter. :)**_


	14. Do it For Mei

"Thank god we're home, I've been dying to go for a warm shower." Mei sighed as she shoved their dirty clothes into the washing machine.

"Then go for one, I'll put all this away then make us something to eat." Yuzu looked up from her bag that she was unpacking to give Mei a small smile. Mei didn't have to be told twice, she already had the washing machine on and was briskly walking to the bathroom.

Yuzu smiled as she shook her head at the desperate girl practically running down the hall. Within the first 10 minutes, she had already unpacked her bag and was moving onto Mei's, which was proving to be a much harder task than her own.

Mei had packed enough to stay the week, Yuzu found dozens of miscellaneous items in the bag. _Why would she need a pack of shoelaces?_

After Mei's bag was unpacked, Yuzu had the difficult task of putting the tent away. She knew where it was going just that spot was the top shelf of the closet, at least two feet above Yuzu's head. She could barely lift it onto her back nevermind over her.

Several failed attempts later Yuzu left the bag on the bedroom floor to wait for Mei and made her way to the kitchen to prepare something for the two. It had been long past 40 minutes when Yuzu was sitting patiently at the table for Mei, she was hungry and tired and Mei was taking a little too long.

Slowly making her way down the hall she knocked lightly on the door,

"Mei are you finished yet? Lunch is ready and I'm hungry so can you hurry up?" Yuzu said as she mentally rolled her eyes at how long Mei was taking. However, she got no reply from the younger girl, the only sound she could hear was the shower.

"Mei?... I'm coming in okay?" Opening the door Yuzu walked into a room full of steam that burned against her face pushing her back into the hall, the cloud shuffled out of the hot room. Yuzu was now slightly worried, Mei never let the bathroom stream up this bad.

Yuzu quickly opened the shower door to find it empty, turning the water off Yuzu gave the shower room one last look over before she stepped back into the main bathroom. Where she was met with the sight of Mei sleeping in slightly overflowing bathtub.

Her cheeks were pink and Yuzu could see trails of sweat on her forehead. Pulling the plug on the bath Yuzu tried to sit a floppy Mei upright. The bath was quite literally boiling, it was no wonder Mei had passed out after being in it for so long.

"Mei wake up, C'mon you can't stay in here," with the bath more than half drained and Mei showing no signs of waking up, Yuzu layed a towel out on the floor and using all her strength, poorly lifted Mei from the tub onto the towel.

Drying her as best she could, Yuzu slipped one arm around Mei's back the other hooked under her knees. Taking in a deep breath Yuzu stood up and quickly made her way to their bedroom, plopping Mei's still limp body onto the bed. Drawing the bedsheet over her exposed body Yuzu placed the back of her hand on Mei's cheek; she was roasting.

She checked her pulse; it was slightly elevated but nothing too concerning, Yuzu guessed she had only fallen unconscious a minutes or so ago. Lying her on her side, Yuzu flicked the air conditioning on and went to the kitchen to get a cold glass of water. Mei should be fine, as long as she hydrated her and she woke up soon everything should be fine.

When Yuzu walked back into the bedroom Mei was sitting up in bed, wearily looking around. Yuzu rushed over to Mei, placing one hand on her back she handed the water to Mei.

"Here Mei drink this," Mei, as instructed by the worried blonde drank the water. After drowning the entire glass Mei looked back to Yuzu who had shuffled onto the bed beside her.

"I thought I was in the bath... and why do I have no clothes on?" Mei handed the glass back to Yuzu, clearly confused.

Yuzu smiled and gave her a kiss before she signalled for Mei to lean against her.

"You were in the bath but you where taking an awfully long time. When I went to check on you the shower was on and the room was full of steam. Then I found you unconscious in the bath. So I brought you to bed to get you out of the hot water, and you have no clothes on because I literally just got you onto the bed and I didn't think you would want me to change you while you weren't ya know... awake." Yuzu gave Mei a shy grin as she wiped her forehead.

"You are right about that but you carried me through the house... naked?" Mei's cheeks were pink, Yuzu didn't know whether it was because she was so hot or too embarrassed but assumed it was probably a mixture of both.

"I didn't have much of a choice, I had to get you out of the bath and the bathroom was full of steam. Anyways why didn't you get out of the bath if you felt like you were going to pass out?" Yuzu's tone had changed from a light light-hearted to a very serious one.

"Oh... I eh didn't think I was too hot I thought I was just tired, which I am. I didn't think I would actually pass out. And sorry for leaving the shower on, I was just about to jump into it after I got out the bath." Mei gave Yuzu an apologetic smile as she leaned her fatigued body against the warm blonde. Yuzu, however, was having none of it.

"That's not an excuse Mei, if you were tired you should have gotten out of the bath. What if your head had slipped below the water, or if I hadn't walked in and found you? Have some common sense, if u feel like you're gonna pass out while in the bath you get out, you don't just sit there and wait for it to happen," Yuzu lectured as she continued to wipe Mei's sweating face.

Mei seemed to shrink a little at the blonde words, it was very rare that Yuzu lectured her and when she did Mei always felt so small.

"Sorry Yuzu, it won't happen again," Mei spoke in almost a whisper as the blonde eyed her.

"Good, I have made us some lunch do you want any or not?" Yuzu was clearly slightly annoyed at Mei's stupidity but was trying to hide it.

"No thank you, I'm not that hungry but thanks for making it." Mei sunk under the covers like a scolded child, Yuzu got up and grabbed the empty glass from the bedside table. Her concern had passed, now she was just mad at Mei for not getting out of the bath when she felt sleepy.

"Do you want tea or coffee or just some more water?" Yuzu stood at the door and waited for Mei to reply. "Water please, " Mei answered avoiding eye contact with the blonde.

"Sit with your knees bent and your head between them, it will help with the dizziness," and without another word, Yuzu left the room and went back to the dining table to eat her lunch. Wapping Mei's in cling film Yuzu placed it in the fridge before filling Mei's glass up with water and going back through to meet the younger girl.

Mei was already dressed and was now sitting at her desk. Yuzu placed the glass down on the hardwood before she placed her hand back over Mei's head. Frowning Yuzu pulled the paper from Mei's hand and let it fall back onto the desk.

"Mei you are still roasting, you need to hydrate yourself and sleep. You said yourself that you are tired and doing school work won't help that. Now please just get back in bed, " Yuzu let out a sigh as she pulled the chair away from the desk.

Mei knew there was no arguing with Yuzu, she was mad. Not in a way in which she would shout or argue with Mei, she was annoyed at Mei's carelessness and had little patience for her at the moment.

Without any come back Mei made her way over to the bed and crawled under the covers.

"Can you drink this please?" Yuzu said as she handed her the freshly made glass of water. Taking a gulp from the glass Mei look up to meet Yuzu's eye, and when she glanced down as she had suspected, the blonde's fingers where tapping rapidly on her thigh.

Reaching out, Mei took the trembling hand in her own and gave the fingers a long kiss.

"Yuzu, calm down, " Mei's voice was soft and kind as she looked up into Yuzu's eyes.

Over the four years Mei had known Yuzu, there where several traits that she had picked up on to diagnose the blonde's mood. One of which was the tapping of her fingers. There were two types and were very easily distinguishable, the first was relaxed and usually played in some sort of pattern, indicating that she was in a good mood or was extremely relaxed.

The second was when she was mad, annoyed, scared, nervous or upset, it generally wasn't hard to figure out which of the above it was as her tone would fill in the gaps. Her fingers wound drum rapidly off whatever surface was available, usually in no particular order. Mei thought it was an unconscious act and never thought to point it out, it was a good way for her to find out what the elder girl was feeling.

Right now it was strikingly obvious to Mei that Yuzu was both scared and annoyed. Scared that she could have lost Mei, upset that she would be so careless to let something like that happen.

"Yuzu, I'm right here... I only fell asleep because of how tired I was, the past couple of days have been really busy, I nodded off before I even had time to notice. I'm sorry okay? It won't happen again, I promise." Mei had looked up into the blondes sparkling eyes the entire time, but not once did she see Yuzu look straight into hers.

Yuzu didn't reply, her fingers let up slightly but they still danced a little too fast for Mei's liking.

"Yuzu? Please stop worrying, you know that I would never normally do something like that. I know something could have happened but it didn't, so you don't have to be scared. I'm sorry for being so careless, next time I'm tired I'll make sure to get out as soon as I feel the slightest bit dizzy. Does that make you feel any better?"

"I just worry, anything could have happened. I was scared... don't go back on your promise... okay?" With her fingers now stilled and her caring eyes looking straight into Mei's, she cupped the red face in the palm of her hand.

"I know and I promise, " Mei said with a weak smile before Yuzu learned and gave her a lingering kiss on the lips. When she finally pulled away Yuzu brushed Mei's cheek again.

"I'm going for a shower now, stay in bed and drink the rest of that water. No arguments." Yuzu was stern as she walked over to get fresh clothes, Mei gave her an agreeing nod before Yuzu left the room.

Mei lay in bed debating whether or not she should talk to Yuzu about why she had actually passed out in the bath. It had been over a week since Mei had taken Yuzu dancing, and Yuzu had said she would like to do more stuff like that in the future.

When Mei was deciding what class to take her girlfriend to, she had found several music classes. Mei although had no clue how to play an instrument wanted to learn, over the past week since she had found the ads she had been googling none stop. The idea of being able to play a melody intrigued her, yet when she had mentioned it to Yuzu at dinner she didn't quite get the reaction she was hoping for.

Mei wasn't even sure it was the lessons that had made Yuzu break down, after all, she had acted fine about it a split second later. The topic had been dropped after the argument and Mei never actually found out what had made Yuzu upset.

They only had four or so more weeks until they had to go back to school, and Mei had thought she would need as much time and practice as possible. She wanted to attend two lessons a week until she went back to school, then cut down to one. Mei wanted Yuzu to come with her to these but, she didn't know if bringing it up would start yet another argument.

While in the bath Mei had been debating with herself whether to tell Yuzu or not and when she next opened her eyes she was lying in bed.

Yuzu was still in a slightly sour mood and Mei thought it would be best to bring it up when she was relaxed. Mei could make her relax.

As instructed Mei stayed in bed and wanted for Yuzu to come back, twenty minutes later Yuzu came into the room to check on Mei.

"How are you feeling now?" Yuzu asked as she once again placed her hand on Mei's forehead. It was much cooler than before and her cheeks only had a slight tinge to them now.

Mei, ignoring the question, pulled her girlfriend down on top of her and brought their lips together. Mei slowly sat up and pushed Yuzu back into the mattress, her fingers finding their familiar place in the blonde locks. Mei brushed her tongue over Yuzu's lips asking for entry, however, she didn't get any. Instead, Yuzu lightly pushed Mei off her and gave Mei a confident grin.

"If we're gonna do this right now, I'm calling dibs on top, " Yuzu grinned as she forcefully shoved Mei back so that she bounced off the mattress. Seductively crawling over Mei, Yuzu dragged her fingers up the exposed stomach. Rising the hem of her shirt as she went.

"Are you okay with that?" Yuzu whispered into Mei's ear, her lips and hot breath barely brushing the sensitive skin. Yuzu was playing dirty, it was a rule (that was frequently broken) between the two that Yuzu stayed clear of Mei's ears when deciding who was being topped. It automatically gave Yuzu the upper hand and most of the time depending on how much attention Yuzu showed them, Mei was left helpless.

Mei hated it, it meant that the blonde didn't have to work to gain the leading position, if Yuzu really wanted to be on top she could with ease.

While Mei tried to get a hold of herself Yuzu ran the tip of her tongue over the edge of the pink ear.

"Sorry I didn't catch that... Is this... Okay?" Between her words, Yuzu first gave the ear a soft kiss, then sucked on the hot lobe. Mei's reluctance to be the submissive one shattered as she felt the wet mouth gliding along her ear.

"Y-yes, " Mei let out her held breath as she bit down onto her bottom lip.

Yuzu's hand had already found its way to Mei's breast and was gently massaging the soft skin, being careful not to touch the hardening nipple. Her mouth continued to suck and bite on Mei's ear, Yuzu could feel Mei squirm under her as she teased her.

More than a minute later, Yuzu ever so slowly moved her kissing down to Mei's neck. Tenderly kissing the slightly salty skin Yuzu felt Mei's hands running over her back, ruffling up her shirt.

Yuzu, however, did not stop to help Mei remove her clothing instead she worked her way back up the pale skin, laying featherlike kisses along Mei's flawless jaw. Meeting the pink plump lips, Yuzu caught Mei in a passionate kiss. Easily dominating Mei as her tongue explored the hot mouth, occasionally giving Mei's tongue a teasing suck.

"Let's call this payback for you making me wait so long to get back at you for the woods. It's been days since you gave me anything, now I'm really worked up." Mei's eyes widened a little at the blonde's words, she had completely forgotten she had promised Yuzu the top. She was diffidently in for a long afternoon.

Without any hesitation, Yuzu brought her lips back to Mei's, who fought a little bit more this time making the kiss rougher. Yuzu had strategically placed her knee between the younger's legs and was constantly pushing against her, letting Yuzu hear the moans she had waited ever so long for.

"I hope you aren't planning on leaving the house for the next couple days, it's going to be rather hard to cover this up," Yuzu breath was heavy but her voice was commanding, there was no way Mei could get out of this one.

Mei was unable to reply, the teasing hand cupping her breast and the constant pressure on her sex was making it a little difficult to focus on Yuzu's words. Just as the sentence fell into place in Mei's mind she felt Yuzu's teeth sink into the middle of her neck.

Her entire body clenched at the pain that was masked in pleasure.

"Ah...Yuzu that h-hurts," Mei's voice was weak in comparison to her words, but they reached Yuzu. She removed her teeth form the neck so she could suck on the harsh mark. After nursing the wound with her tongue for several more seconds, Yuzu moved only centimetres down before she was sucking hard on Mei's lower neck.

Yuzu could feel herself getting too hot, she needed out of her clothes and she wanted Mei out of hers. Sitting up Yuzu pried her shirt off over her head, her chest rising and falling quickly as she regained her breath. Mei was lifted slightly off the bed as Yuzu worked her shirt over her head.

Once the unnecessary material was out of the way, Yuzu let Mei fall onto her back. Yuzu followed her and as soon as Mei had made contact with the sheets Yuzu had her teeth on Mei's collarbone working on another hickey.

"Y-Yuzu! Don't leave so m-many, I won't be able to hide all of these," Mei's voice was raspy and although she pleaded for Yuzu to stop marking her where others would see, she tilted her head back letting out a low moan and giving the blonde better access.

Yuzu had completely ignored Mei and was now working on her sixth or seventh hickey to the younger girls neck. Yuzu wasn't even paying attention anymore, she had lost count of how many times she had repositioned her teeth on Mei's bruised neck, she was lost in the sea of moans that came from her girlfriend's mouth.

Now finished with her neck Yuzu moved on to the perky breasts that she had been mildly fondling till now. Finally clasping the solid nipple in her fingers, Yuzu sat up on Mei's stomach as she pleasured both of the pink buds. Mei had her eyes squeezed tightly shut, beads of sweat ran down her neck and her hair was plastered to her forehead. Her teeth were sunk into her bottom lip in attempts to muffle her groans, and her cheeks had regained their earlier pinkness.

Looking down at her neck and shoulders Yuzu counted a total of eleven bruises, some much toothier than others. A swarm of guilt washed over her, _how long have I been teasing Mei for? Shit that one looks like it would have hurt..._

Reaching her hand to cress Mei's cheek, Yuzu stilled her other while giving Mei a light peck on the cheek. The pause in activity caused Mei to open her eyes in confusion, for the first time in over twenty minutes she wasn't holding back a moan. She was met with bright emerald eyes mere inches from hers.

"Sorry Mei, I kind of lost myself there...Are you okay? Not feeling light-headed or anything?" Yuzu had stopped all her advances as she waited for Mei to reply. Mei, although had found the continuous teasing exhausting and at times painful the pleasure that she was feeling outweighed it all. The abrupt stop to Yuzu's advances although sweet, disappointed Mei.

"I'm fine, the only thing hurting me right now is that you are using your mouth for talking," Mei's voice was almost impossible to her as she tried to speak through her heavy breathing. She pulled Yuzu down to meet her lips in a hurried attempt to keep the pleasure she was feeling, Mei's hands never left the blonde's hair as she pulled Yuzu deeper into her.

"Oh really? Guess I'll just continue then," Yuzu gave Mei a sly grin before she disappeared from Mei's view. Milliseconds later Mei's back arched off the bed at the feeling of Yuzu sucking on her nipple. Her knee had once again started pressing between Mei's thighs.

"Mhmn...Yes, Yuzu... god please don't stop," Mei panted as she now gripped tightly onto the blonde locks. Yuzu took the pulling without a hitch as she rolled the nipple between her teeth pulling when Mei gripped a little too hard.

Yet Mei's heightened pleasure soon dissipated slightly as the blonde released the swollen nub to bite into pale skin, using her tongue to lick it as she did.

Despite having been together for long over twenty-five minutes, Yuzu had still failed to have any proper contact with Mei's aching lower lips. And that twenty-five minutes was starting to feel like an eternity to Mei.

"Yuzu can you go a LI-ttle faster please?" Mei's voice rose and broke a little as Yuzu took a particularly rough bite to her breast.

Yuzu didn't reply till she had finished sucking the bite mark. She jumped off Mei to the floor where she hooked a hand under each knee and dragged Mei to the edge of the bed. Effortlessly tugging the short cotton shorts off along with the soaked underwear. Yuzu gave Mei a cocky grin as she stood between Mei's legs, her eyebrow raised slightly as her hands ran up and down the smooth long legs.

"Fast enough for you?" Mei saw an evil glint cross the blondes eye as she spoke, Mei knew she far from finished her sucking and biting.

What felt like hours, to Mei, later her entire body ached as Yuzu had effectively covered Mei's entire body with hickeys. Though the whole time Yuzu had not once touched Mei's dripping entrance, she would go close; lick Mei's innermost thigh before moving away again to bite a different part of her body.

Yuzu could see how wet Mei was, how desperate she was and Yuzu was now giving in to her pleas. Not because she was bored of kissing Mei's body, but her jaw was starting to hurt after working it so hard for so long. She wasn't quite sure she would be able to pleasure Mei the way she deserved after waiting so long with her tongue, after all, the last few bites she had given were bearly even visible she was so tired.

"Sorry for the wait my love," Yuzu spoke in a sultry tone as she moved Mei up the bed slightly so she could sit comfortably over her.

Yuzu now sitting over one of Mei's tighs slowly started grinding into Mei, who moved to give Yuzu better access.

"Fuck Mei you're so wet... It feels so good," Yuzu moaned as she started to move her hips faster.

Countless deep moans ripped from Mei's throat, she hadn't even realised Yuzu had gotten out off her pants until she felt the wet slits touch her. Managing to get herself to her elbows, Mei reached up to grasp Yuzu in an uncoordinated kiss.

"H-harder Yuzu!... Uuh, go faster!" Mei was on the verge quickly; she had been waiting for this for too long. Moving back Mei grasped one of Yuzu's bouncing mounds. Yuzu, although had the smaller chest out of the pair, never failed to impress Mei.

"Urgg Mei, I think...I'm going to..." Yuzu didn't even have time to finish her sentence, she just thrust harder against Mei.

With their joint orgasm taking over them, Yuzu soon collapsed down onto Mei, whose chest was heaving. Mei could feel Yuzu's sweaty skin sticking to her, while her harsh breath ran over her neck. Once she had regained herself, Yuzu rolled off Mei, their shoulders still touching.

"I think that's in my top ten," After several minutes Yuzu said through a light laugh. Yuzu was too tired to move to face Mei and so just intertwined their fingers between them. Her fingers tapping lightly on the back of Mei's hand as she spoke.

"Really? Why? I'm pretty sure we've had better sex before," Mei questioned as she stroked Yuzu's thumb with her own. Genuinely curious, given the foreplay lasted longer than usual but the actual having sex part was over rather quickly. Mei couldn't see how that would fall into Yuzu's top ten.

"Yeah, but today I got to cover you in hickeys, you were so submissive. It's not often you would let me do something like that. So, therefore, today is one for the books." Yuzu smiled triumphantly as she managed to trace her free hand over Mei's arm, gliding over a couple bruises.

"Actually I believe I asked you to stop leaving them where people could see, you just chose to ignore me," Mei pouted at the thought of having to try and find something that would hide all of her body.

"Sorry," Yuzu, although apologised didn't sound apologetic at all. Turning on her side, Yuzu wrapped her arms around Mei after pulling the covers over them both.

Laying a gentle kiss on Mei's cheek Yuzu nuzzled into her girlfriend's shoulder.

"C'mon, let's take a quick power nap. I think you need one." Giving a quiet chuckle Yuzu nestled in closer to Mei ready to fall asleep at any second.

 _Crap, I didn't get to ask her._ "Yeah, when we get up later...I have something I want to talk to you about okay?" Mei was soft with her words not wanting to alarm Yuzu in any way. Yet it seemed she was already somewhat asleep as the only response Mei got was a somewhat muffled 'sure'.

Mei pulled Yuzu closer, giving her a peck on the forehead Mei closed her eyes. _I hope that this goes well..._

Mei awoke several hours later, the smell of Yuzu's cooking filling her nose. That smell made her smile, Yuzu, her Yuzu, was cooking for her. Just the thought filled Mei with happiness, but that feeling was soon replaced with nervousness. The conversation she had to have with Yuzu dawned on her, what if she reacted the same way as before? What if she got angry, or even straight up told Mei 'no'. Of course, if Yuzu was dead set on Mei not attending lessons she wouldn't, but Mei for reasons she didn't herself know wanted to do this.

The thought of just not telling Yuzu wasn't high on Mei's list. They had been together for over four years, it wasn't right for Mei to be sneaking around doing things without the blonde knowing. That would have been fine in the first year or so, but Yuzu had earned the right to know where and what her girlfriend was doing.

Climbing out of bed, Mei slowly stood up. Looking down, every limb had at least two hickeys, her chest had clearly been given special attention as Mei was counting over a dozen on her torso. She guessed her neck must have been just as bad, if not worse. Her body was sore, every time she moved she could feel a slight twang somewhere. Yuzu had really outdone herself this time.

Smirking, Mei made her way down the hall to the kitchen where she found Yuzu dancing as she plated up the food she had just cooked.

"What are we dancing to?" Mei asked cheerfully as she walked up to Yuzu, placing a quick kiss on her cheek. Yuzu smirked, "Who said I was listening to anything?" Mei smiled as she inspected the blonde; she had no earphones in and the speakers were off.

"I'm just in a good mood, I don't need music to dance. Anyways... I ehh made your favourite to make up for... ya know," Yuzu gave a shy smile as she gestured to Mei's neck.

Yuzu moved around Mei and placed both their plates on the table, pulling out Mei's seat as she gestured for Mei to sit down.

"Wine or water?" Yuzu asked as she already had one wine glass down from the cabinet, Mei thought for a moment. Yuzu could handle her alcohol pretty well and she was usually nicer (agreed with Mei on next to everything) when she was intoxicated. Mei, however, was not so good with it, she didn't want anything that could put her off her game tonight.

"Do you mind if we both just have water? I have something I need to talk to you about and I don't want you to say it's okay because you're drunk." Mei said somewhat casually as she waited for Yuzu to put the glass away.

"One glass of wine won't even make me tipsy Mei, but whatever you want," Yuzu gave a light chuckle at Mei's words but as she asked Yuzu put the wine glass back in the cabinet replacing it for two water glasses, which she filled and brought to the table.

"Okay, so what so important you are grudging me a glass?" Yuzu asked as she sat down at the table, looking at Mei expectantly.

"First off, I'm not grudging you anything. You can have a glass when we're finished talking." Mei said in a scolding tone, which the blonde brushed off as she started to eat her dinner.

After several seconds of no continuation, Yuzu looked up to see Mei struggling with her words.

"Mei, c'mon it can't be that bad, just say it. I promise I won't get mad if that's why you are so nervous," Mei's eyes seemed to light up at the blonde's words, as she looked up from her plate to look at Yuzu.

"You promise?" Mei voice seemed unsure, Yuzu gave her a reassuring smile as she reached her hand out across the table to take hold of Mei's.

"Of course. Now, do you wanna let me know what I am promising to? I'm getting a little nervous over here." Yuzu said lightly as she tried to lighten the mood a little as she could see that Mei was still struggling somewhat.

After placing down her chopsticks, Mei focused solely on Yuzu, she tried to sound nonchalant but she could already tell that her voice was going to waver.

"Well... Last week you said that we could attend music lessons if I wanted to, and I've been thinking about it a lot and... I really want to learn an instrument. I have been researching it since I found the ad when I was booking our dance lesson. I know it was wrong... but I've been keeping it from you because I thought you would get mad... like you did the last time I mentioned it. A least that's why I think you got mad. But if it is the reason as to why you were so upset, you can just say and I won't do it, but I really want to learn an instrument and like you said I think it would be better to learn together." Mei said to Yuzu who was still smiling at her.

Yuzu just smiled at Mei, the words replaying again and again in her mind, this was not what she was expecting Mei to say. Yuzu realised that she had just been smiling at Mei without saying anything. Saying the first thing that came to mind, Yuzu tried to seem unfazed by what Mei had said.

"What instrument did you have in mind? Saxophone maybe the flute? I've always wanted to know how to play the trumpet?" Yuzu smiled to Mei, who seemed shocked that Yuzu was actually showing an interest in learning a new instrument.

 _Shit. Fuck fuck fuck! Please don't say what I think you are going to say. Shit, even if she does I have to say 'yes' or she will know what up and start waking on eggshells around me. Just smile and agree, please don't say what I think you are going to say._

"None of them actually, I wanted to learn the piano with you. _-Fuck-_ I think it would be amazing to be able to play it, I've been listening to some music as well and it's so relaxing." Mei smiled brightly, finally being able to talk about her new found passion that she had kept bottled up for too long.

"Okay yeah, that does sound like fun, but what made you pick the piano? I thought you would be more into Jazz or something." Yuzu genuinely had no idea how her mind was functioning right now, her body had gone numb, she wasn't even sure she was taking in Mei's words accurately.

"When I was looking for somewhere to take you dancing the first ad I saw was actually for piano lessons, not just music lessons in general. After I got home that day and ever since then I have been googling and doing a lot of research on the piano, and how to read sheet music...So this isn't why you were upset last week, are you sure you're okay with this?" Mei asked cautiously as she wanted to be sure that Yuzu wasn't lying for her sake.

"Of course this wasn't the reason I was upset, you should have asked me sooner. When do you want to start learning? I'm assuming that you already have a tutor in mind?" Yuzu smiled again to a beaming Mei. This conversation was breaking her heart, but she had to keep smiling and put up a positive front.

"Well I wanted to start this week, when I spoke to the woman on the phone she said she had a free slot tomorrow afternoon, but if we wanted it I had to call before ten am tomorrow morning. And I was thinking of starting with two lessons a week then cut down to one. And yes I have already chosen the person I want to teach us, the reviews were all really good, plus I spoke to them on the phone about taking two people at a time, and she said it was fine. So all I was really waiting on was to see if you wanted to do it." Mei said excitedly. Yuzu was quite surprised she had managed to do so much research on it without her noticing. Using all her willpower Yuzu managed to speak again.

"You can definitely take a lesson for tomorrow, but I made plans with Tyler to go out for lunch. We planned it before we broke up for summer break so it would be rude to cancel so last minute...How about you can just go yourself tomorrow, see how you feel when you are actually playing the piano. If you want to continue the lessons I'll make sure to make the next one, and that way you'll be able to teach me," Yuzu tried to sound ecstatic about it, but she really was forcing the words.

"Really? Thank you Yuzu, I was really worried. Do you mind if I call in to book it? She is still open for another half hour, and I want to make sure I get the spot," Mei asked but she was already starting to push her chair back.

"Sure you can, can I have that glass of wine now seen everything is fine?" Giving her a shy grin Yuzu waited for Mei to nod before she got a kiss on the cheek and watched Mei skip down the hall to get her phone.

As soon as Mei was out of sight Yuzu pulled her phone from her pocket, flicking through her messages until she found Tyler's contact.

'Hey Tyler, I know this is sudden but if you get a call or message from Mei in the next 24 hours and she asked where I am, tell her we're having lunch tomorrow about 1 o'clock. Oh and that we planned it before summer break. Thanks a bunch, Yuzu x' Her fingers worked hard as she typed the message before she went straight to the fridge and pulled out a beer. Yuzu had chugged half the bottle before she felt her phone vibrate.

'Sure, but why? You know I don't like lying, is everything okay?'

Looking at the reply she sighed, she was trying her best to hold back her tears; Mei would be back any minute. She really didn't have the ability to explain the situation to anyone right now.

'Everything is fine, I'll explain later okay, I have to go. Thanks, x' Yuzu slipped her phone back into her pocket when Mei came through, wearing the biggest smile Yuzu had seen in a long time. _How can something make Mei so happy yet me so sad?_ The question ran through her mind as Mei sat back down at the table.

"Did you need a drink that bad?" Mei laughed as she pointed to Yuzu's half-empty bottle, Yuzu gave her a big smile before turning her back to Mei. Lifting the bottle to her lips, Yuzu quickly drained the rest of the bottle before sliding it onto the countertop and grabbed a fresh one from the fridge.

"I don't know what you're talking about, I haven't even opened it yet," Yuzu grinned as she gestured to the unopened bottle in her hand while Mei rolled her eyes.

"Sure, let's eat before it goes stone cold. It smells delicious. Thank you Yuzu," Mei gave Yuzu a final smile before she started to eat her food. It was obvious Mei was thanking her for more than just making her dinner, but Yuzu overlooked it and opened her second beer. If she was going to get through the next five hours without having a breakdown she was going to need some liquid courage.

Once they were finished eating Mei had offered to wash up while Yuzu went through to the lounge to pick a movie. Yuzu was now sat on the couch, with the movie paused and was flicking through random things in her phone, finishing her third bottle.

"Mei when you're done, bring me through another beer please," Yuzu asked as she placed the glass bottle onto the floor.

Mei signed as she put the last of the plates away, "No Yuzu, I think you have had enough for tonight. How about some water?" Mei asked, she knew she would probably get told no but she had to try.

Yuzu got off the couch and picked the bottle from the floor. When she reached the kitchen she slid the empty bottle over the counter to sit with the rest of them. Opening the fridge, she grabbed herself her own beverage as Mei was proving to be no help.

Uncapping the chilled drink, Yuzu took a quick swig before turning to Mei, "No thanks."

Yuzu took several steps before she turned back to the kitchen. _If Mei's not gonna get me my drinks I might as well just get them now, save me getting up later._

So reopening the fridge, Yuzu grabbed two more bottles between her fingers and started again for the lounge.

"Ehh I don't think so. One or two is fine but you aren't having six Yuzu", Mei said as she reached out to take the unopened bottles from her girlfriend. Who unexpectantly moved back to avoid her grasp, turning and trudging over to her spot on the couch.

"Are you gonna come and watch this movie with me or just stand there and count how many beers I have?" Mei was well and truly stunned, Yuzu had never so openly refused to stop drinking when she had asked her to. She hadn't even tried to negotiate, which if she really wanted to drink she would normally do, she had flat out ignored Mei.

"Yuzu, what's up? Why are you drinking so much? I thought you just wanted one glass of wine, now you are trying to drink the house out," Mei asked as she came to stand over Yuzu's cuddled up form on the couch. She watched as Yuzu eyed her for several seconds before she stood and wrapped her arms around Mei.

"I couldn't drink all the alcohol in this house if I tried Mei." Yuzu gave a light chuckle as she leaned in to give Mei a small kiss. After breaking away, Yuzu pulled Mei down onto the couch on top of her. Sitting upright on the couch with Mei sitting horizontally on her legs, Yuzu pulled Mei closer to her with her left hand while her right held her current best friend.

"Nothings 'up', I just feel like drinking tonight. Besides, it's not like we are going anywhere until tomorrow afternoon so it really doesn't matter how much I drink does it?"

Giving a quick peck to Mei's forehead before she brought the cold bottle to her lips and took a long gulp.

"I suppose not but I still think you should put at least one of them back, six bottles and you will definitely be more than tipsy. I don't really want to have to deal with you when you're drunk tonight or when you're grumpy tomorrow morning." Mei said and although her words were rather strict she snuggled into Yuzu's chest.

Yuzu didn't bother replying, just pressed play on the movie and held onto Mei as she made quick work of her drink. Yuzu who was normally quite chipper when they watched a movie, had stayed silent only drinking her beer unless Mei asked her something. Even then, she only gave half-assed responses. Yuzu wasn't acting like there was something bothering her, but Mei couldn't help but feel uneasy in the uncomfortable silence. She was used to Yuzu's constant chatter when they sat down at the end of the day to watch a movie and the lack of conversation was starting to make Mei feel as though something _was_ up.

 _What have I done to upset her this time?_

"Are you sure everything is okay, have I done something to annoy you?" Mei asked with her arms tucked tightly around Yuzu's torso, her head nuzzled against her chest. Yuzu although was doing well at hiding her emotions by solely focusing on the movie, wished Mei would stop talking. Over the past half hour, Mei had asked the same question half a dozen times and it was smacking Yuzu's feeling all over the place, making it rather difficult for her to play it down like nothing. The alcohol she was rapidly consuming wasn't doing much in helping her as she had hoped.

"Mei, as I said five minutes ago, I'm completely fine. Now, will you stop asking that before you start pissing me off? I just want to watch this movie, drink my beer and snuggle up. Nothing more nothing less, I'm not making a lot of conversation because I'm paying attention to the movie..." Yuzu could tell that the beer was having effects on her as she usually had much more patience with Mei and would reassure her rather than bite her head off.

The alcohol was having the opposite effect she had hoped for. Instead of making it easier to forget about their previous conversation, it was making her antisocial and that caught Mei's attention, which therefore kept reminding Yuzu of why she was being so quiet.

"... Sorry, I didn't mean to snap. I really am fine. I guess I'm just not in a chatty mood." Yuzu quickly recovered giving Mei a lingering kiss to the top of her head.

Mei sighed again, "Okay, sorry, I didn't mean to push it. " From then on Mei joined Yuzu in her vow of silence, not wanting to annoy her anymore.

Yuzu, however, was starting to feel like the night was dragging out, it wasn't even eight and she had already made Mei suspicious. She could go to bed at ten without Mei asking any questions, but what was she supposed to do till then? Yuzu felt she was already cracking, by some horrible twist of fate Mei had chosen of all instruments the one that made her cry. She sat under Mei, cursing herself for being mad at her for no reason, she couldn't show Mei how petty she was being. She couldn't cry. But she most definitely felt like she was about to.

"Hey Mei, can you do me a favour?" Yuzu pulled herself slightly away from Mei so she could look at her face.

"Sure, what do you need?" Mei had also moved ever so slightly away from Yuzu's warm body to look up at her girlfriend.

"I know it's late, and that you have already snuggled up but would you mind running to the shop for me? I'd go myself but I kinda don't want to leave the house and I'm a little drunk." Giving Mei a shy smile, Yuzu hoped that Mei would leave the house at least for twenty minutes, that's all she needed.

"What do you need this late at night? Can't you just get it tomorrow? Plus you kind of made it hard for me to leave the house." Mei pointed to her neck as she raised her eyebrow to Yuzu.

"Ehh well, I am just really craving strawberry cheesecake right now and we don't have any. As for your skin, it's getting dark outside and can't you just put a jacket on or something? Pretty please." Yuzu said and she gave Mei the best puppy dog eyes she could manage.

Mei sighed as she gave Yuzu one last look before detangled herself from Yuzu and got off the couch. "Is it just the cheesecake you want?" Mei asked. Yuzu nodded with a shy smile, Mei walked to the bedroom to get changed before saying a quick goodbye and leaving with the car keys.

Yuzu watched with a guilt-ridden face as Mei left the house, a tear already making its way down her cheek.

Making her way over to the kitchen, Yuzu pored herself a glass of something much stronger than the beer she was having now.

' _How can I let someone teach me the piano? That's the same as disrespecting or replacing him, he would never forgive me! It's just not right. I have tried this before and for years it made me miserable... but Mei looked so happy, happier than I've seen her in a long time. Its good that she found something she is passionate about, she doesn't really have any hobbies but why do I have to do it with her?'_ Yuzu thought as the downed the contents of her glass. She only had one otherwise Mei would catch on easily, washing the glass she put it back in the cupboard as if she had never touched it.

 _'I have to go, it's not fair on Mei to hold her back on something like this. I guess I could go and just not really participate, let Mei do most of it. That way I'm not really taking lessons from anyone else and I won't be disrespecting him. For Mei, I have to do this for Mei.'_ Yuzu sighed as she wiped away the remaining tears on her cheek, Mei would only be gone five minutes, she took the car instead of waking as Yuzu had hoped, and she had to be presentable when she came back.

She also had to stop drinking, she knew it probably wasn't going to win her any favours in Mei's good books. She had to be of sound mind when Mei came back, Yuzu thought Mei deserved to be happy and if that meant she had to be sad for a couple hours a day it was worth it.

Making her way back to the couch Yuzu got a blanket and snuggled up waiting for her cheesecake to arrive, and like she had suspected Mei had been gone less than ten minutes when she came back in, leaving her keys and coat at the door.

"I hope you appreciate your cake, I swear about a dozen people saw the marks on my neck, the cashier even asked me about them!" Mei half-joked as she handed the box to Yuzu with a smile.

"Sorry Mei, thank you so much for getting it I know you didn't want to leave. Go get changed and I'll make up for it okay? I already put the alcohol away like you asked so I'm just on water now," Yuzu took the box from Mei with an honest smile, and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before settling back down on the couch with her comfort food.

"Oh really, why the sudden change of heart? It doesn't really matter, thank you for putting it back, I'll be two minutes." Mei put both hands on Yuzu's face and gave her a mushy kiss, smiling she got up and left to get changed back into her pyjamas.

Yuzu although still upset, liked when things were smooth between the two, she didn't like the uncomfortable silence from before and was glad she had made things right again. Even if she wasn't telling Mei the entire truth, she wasn't about to make Mei feel bad about being excited.

"Come here, sit down, we are going to watch this movie and have a nice night. I don't know why I wanted to drink so badly but you are much more important to me than some alcohol, so come here and you will have my full attention." Yuzu gave Mei a big smile as she stretched her arms out, signalling for Mei to sit in her lap. When she did Yuzu wrapped the blanket around her and pulled Mei close giving her a long kiss to the top of her head.

"I love you, Mei, so much. I would do anything to make you happy, you know that?" Yuzu said more to herself than Mei, however, she still got a response that cleared any doubt she had about actually attended the music lessons.

"I know Yuzu, I love you too," Mei didn't say much but the three words made Yuzu's heart flutter, stopping away any sadness she had. Mei made everything better, she always had, always knew just what to say and do to wipe away her sorrow.

They sat together cuddling until the movie ended, both participating in their usual chatter before heading to bed.

Yuzu felt so much more confident in her choice to push her own feelings aside to please Mei, as long as she didn't think too hard about what she was doing and just focused on Mei she would be fine. Hopefully.

 _ **Thanks for reading this chapter as always I hope you enjoyed it. Sorry for the long wait but hopefully it was worth it.**_

 _ **It shouldn't be long until Mei finds out what is really bothering Yuzu.**_


	15. Yuzu's Reveal

Yuzu for once was standing at the door waiting for Mei to get ready, she although had been up far longer before Yuzu still wasn't quite ready to leave.

"Mei common, it's the first music lesson you don't need to take anything, they will provide you with anything you need, so hurry up before you're late." Yuzu waited rather patiently for Mei, she was by no means in a rush to leave, she didn't have anywhere to go. Mei had suggested they leave together and split ways when they got down the street, as Mei was still under the impression that Yuzu was meeting their friend Tyler.

Yuzu obviously couldn't say no as it was her excuse to get out of this music lesson, she thought she would just go with Mei to start with then go to a cafe or call Harumi. Tyler had told Yuzu he had gone to visit his family over the break and wouldn't be back until school started up again, something she neglected to tell Mei, which she was now thankful for. She had texted Tyler earlier today, explaining that she really didn't want to go to a music lesson with Mei and needed an excuse not to go, she didn't want to lie to her friend, so like Mei, he got as much of the truth as possible.

Mei walked down the hall, an extravagant smile on her face. "Yeah, I know that I guess I'm just nervous, but I'm so happy I can wait to try playing it." Mei was practically skipping around the house getting her things together. She was dressed in dark grey jeans, a long sleeved shirt that was buttoned up to her neck, and just for extra precautions, she had applied makeup to guarantee Yuzu's marks wouldn't be shown to anyone.

"Okay, let's go...Yuzu, thank you again for doing this. I know you didn't really seem overjoyed about going but I really appreciate that you're trying it for me." Mei gave Yuzu a smile and peck on the cheek as she walked out of the door. Yuzu was stunned, she thought she had played the part rather well last night. Following Mei out of the apartment, Yuzu took Mei's hand after locking up.

"I don't know what you are talking about Mei. Yeah, last night I wasn't jumping up and down but I was just having one of those days ya know? I am really excited to learn I promise, now you don't need to keep thanking me I honestly haven't done anything to deserve it. You just need to make sure you have fun and enjoy yourself, okay?" Yuzu said in a cheery tone. She was still upset about it but her resolve to make Mei happy was impenetrable, for the first time in years Yuzu was thinking about, or at least mildly entertaining the idea of the piano without crying. She had stayed up quite late last night thinking things through, several times a tear had threatened to spill over, but she had refrained from getting out of bed and instead held Mei closer. She was now confident she would be able to go with Mei without breaking down, all she had to do was focus on Mei, and her beautiful smile, that in itself was enough to stop Yuzu from crying.

Mei smiled at Yuzu as they walked along the street, she really was the best girlfriend Mei could ask for, she wouldn't change a thing about her.

"Okay, if you say so."

As they neared the street they were supposed to part on Mei spoke up,

"Are we meeting up after my lesson or will you be finished your lunch date before then?" Mei questioned as she moved to face Yuzu, prepared to go her sperate way. Yuzu, however, had a moment of panic, "Emm, uh no I'll meet you back at the house, Tyler is only visiting for the one day, it's only going to be a quick lunch. We should be finished long before your two-hour class is. So I guess I'll just see you at home at about half three, then you can tell me all about your day?" after quickly collecting her thoughts Yuzu had come up with a reasonable excuse for Mei not to meet up with her and Tyler.

"Oh okay, I'll see you then, tell Tyler I said hello, goodbye," Mei gave Yuzu a short kiss before walking away, eagerly awaiting her lesson. Yuzu played the part and started walking in the opposite direction, pulling her phone out she dialled Harumi's number and hoped she would pick up. She didn't really want to go back to the house right now, and although she had just left the two a day ago she really needed to talk to someone right now.

"H-Hey Yuzu, what's up?" Harumi answered slightly short of breath, and Yuzu could hear slight muffles in the background.

"Hey, is now a bad time? You sound like you're running or something?" Yuzu asked slightly concerned she had caught her friend as a bad time, but the reply she got made her cheeks turn pink, listening on the phone she got Harumi's delayed response.

"What of course not, we always answer the phone no matter what right, wait a second I'm on the phone uhhh Matsuri, mhmm, will you stop I'll be back in two seconds... Sorry Yuzu, I hope you didn't hear that she is being clingy as always. What's up?" Yuzu heard the sound of a door closing and Harumi sighing.

"Ohh I didn't mean to... You didn't have to pick up if you were doing that Harumi, it wasn't that important." Yuzu was thoroughly embarrassed, she was ready to say goodbye when Harumi gave a light chuckle to reassure her.

"Don't worry about it, we weren't doing it you just caught us getting started. But I already answered so just say why you called, it will probably just annoy her more if you called and said nothing," Yuzu could make out the playful tone in her voice and knew she thought it was quite amusing to tease her girlfriend.

"I just wanted to ask if you wanted to meet up for a coffee there was some stuff I wanted to talk about but obviously you are busy so I guess I'll be fine, tell Matsuri I said sorry." Yuzu said apologetically, but once again she was cut off by Harumi.

"Hey c'mon, you come before sex if you need to talk I'm there. Where about are you, oh and can Matsuri come? I think she will take it better if we both choose you over sleeping together, rather than me leaving her here alone." Yuzu was a little shocked at Harumi's words, but in a weird way, it warmed her heart.

"Yeah she can come, I'm close to that really big shopping mall, so can I just meet you guys at our regular place?" Yuzu's voice had perked up after confirming that she would have someone to talk to. If Matsuri was coming along as well that would mean she might get caught out, after all, she was with Yuzu when a lot of what she was upset about happened. Yuzu had already made the decision to go with her girlfriend to the lessons after today, but that didn't mean she didn't feel the need to rant to her best friend.

After saying a quick goodbye Yuzu headed to their favourite cafe and like she had expected got there before the other couple, she assumed it would take Harumi some time to actually get Matsuri out of bed. Knowing this she sat down at a booth and ordered her self a fresh, much-needed cup of coffee. Then in the next fifteen minutes, Yuzu saw the two girls walk into the cafe, Harumi was smiling contently; Matsuri had a sour look on her face.

"Hey Yuzu, sorry to have kept you waiting, we live just down the street and yet it took her this long to get ready," Harumi gave the grumpy pink haired girl a slight smirk before settling down at the table.

"Hi Matsuri, hope I didn't disturb anything important, I kinda just needed to rant. Or at least just someone to talk to who wasn't Mei." After Yuzu had finished it was evident that Matsuri had forgone her grumpy attitude as she sat down at the table, clearly intrigued by what the blonde had said.

"Oh, what happened? Is she still mad at you for whatever you did when we went camping? And where is she right now?" Matusri questioned as she tried to wave down a waiter. Catching the waiter the three ordered their drinks before they continued their conversation.

"We aren't fighting, quite the opposite actually. We are great at the minute, Mei is really happy cuz she asked me if we could attend piano lessons, something she was really hyped up for, and I said yes. So that's why she isn't here." Yuzu spoke in a somewhat low tone and failed to properly meet either of the two's eyes.

"What's wrong with that, shouldn't you be happy for her too? You look like your nonexistent cat just died," It was Harumi who spoke up as she slurped on her drink, totally oblivious to Yuzu's reluctance towards the piano.

"What?! I am happy for her! It's great she has finally found something she is passionate about that isn't reading, but it's just that she wants me to do it as well. I mean I will cuz it will make her happy but I dunno..." Yuzu trailed off as she didn't really know where she was taking her little ramble. She didn't want to sound like she was complaining, but she couldn't help it, she needed to get her feeling out in the open instead of in her head. Yuzu was confident that the two would keep her secret if she ended up spilling anything.

"So, I take it you made up this meeting in the spur of the moment, a final attempt to avoid going with Mei today?" Matsuri's usually smug face had stricken slightly as if she was taking the conversation seriously. Yuzu gave a quick nod before focusing on her drink, she didn't like lying to Mei, it gave her an uneasy feeling and now there where several more people that could blow her cover.

"Does it still bother you? I thought you got over that when we were younger, even if you still get upset about the piano why not just tell Mei? I'm sure she would understand, I thought you two were past secrets and sneaking around?" Matsuri's tone was a mixture of concern and scolding. She was worried for Yuzu but didn't like that her other friend was being lied to.

"It's silly for me to still be upset about it, I don't want to show Mei that. I have been this way for years not even Mama knows about it. I would just feel like a crybaby for showing Mei, and if I did tell her she wouldn't go to her music lessons to try and make me happy. Also, I'm not completely lying to her before you say that, she found me crying last week after she mentioned it. I didn't tell her what the cause was but she knows that something has been bothering me since I was small." Yuzu was basically just ignoring Harumi by this point, trying to defend herself to Matsuri.

"Yeah she probably would, but if it's still upsetting you why didn't you say anything to anyone? Cuz you've really dug a hole for yourself now." Matsuri was sitting opposite Yuzu, a confused expression on her face. She knew why Yuzu was upset, when she was younger she had tried to help her 'older sister' but she thought Yuzu got over it years ago. She hadn't shown she was upset about it in just under a decade, or at least she hadn't to Matsuri.

"What the hell are you two talking about?" Harumi finally managed to get a word in, since the start of the conversation she had been pushed to the sidelines, she was the one Yuzu had called to talk to!

"What, Yuzu never told you? Hmf, guess that makes me the best friend," Matsuri made a mock flabbergasted expression before turning it to a smug smile.

"Hey don't say things like that, I never told you what we're talking about cuz it never came up and I don't make a habit of telling people. I mean outside of my immediate family, before I became an Aihara, I think Matsuri is the only one who knows, but that's just cuz I met her just after and she was like my little sister. It has nothing to do with friendship levels," Yuzu made sure to clear up Matsuri's little statement, giving her a small glare as she tried to reassure her best friend.

"Well, what can be so bad that happened years ago that you can't speak about now?" Harumi was still so confused, it was true that she didn't know much about Yuzu before she joined the Aihara Academy, but she always seemed so happy it sounded crazy that something would continue to upset her.

"Emm I don't know if I'm allowed to tell you...Yuzu?" Matsuri for once was stuck for words. It wasn't her place to talk about it but it appeared Yuzu hadn't spoken about it to anyone in years. Yuzu after several moments of contemplation gave a slight nod. _I was the one that dragged them here, I'm not gonna get any advice if she doesn't know the whole story..._

"But one condition, and this is for you as well Matsuri, you are sworn to secrecy I don't want any mention of this to Mei. Not even that we met up, I was supposed to be meeting up with our friend Tyler." Yuzu had a warning look in her eye that made both the two girls nod instantly.

"Well, I'm assuming you know that Yuzu's dad died when she was young?" Matsuri was now facing Harumi as she started to explain, "Yeah when you were like 3 or 4 right?" Harumi asked, nodding her head as her memory proved her right.

"Yeah, So before he died he played the piano, I never met him this is just what Yuzu said to me. He was really good, and he taught Yuzu how to play, and I know she doesn't look like it but she was a natural at playing. Something just seemed to click when her dad started teaching her, I didn't know someone so young could grasp it so easily. Anyways after he died Yuzu was really sad, her mum booked her lessons with another tutor but Yuzu would always come home depressed. After what three? years of this she eventually stopped attending lessons, and only occasional played in the house. The only reason I know how amazing she is is that she taught me what I know." Matsuri frowned a little at the recollection of the past.

"Wait so you're telling me you both know how to play the piano?!" Harumi was beyond shocked, her voice was high pitched and attracted the attention of several customers.

"Yeah, but Matsuri isn't the best, she didn't really work hard or have a natural talent for it. She was the worst student," Yuzu had a grin on her face as she remembered trying to teach the younger girl the piano.

"So the piano makes you upset about your dad?" Harumi saw that as the only reasonable explanation, but Yuzu had spoken about her dad loads to her without crying.

"No, no like I've said before I made my peace with my dad died years ago, I can visit and talk to him whenever I want. But the piano was something he left with me, he taught me how to play and we always had so much fun together when playing it. I don't even have a memory of playing it with him it was so long ago, but when I hear a piano it just makes me sad you know? I mean there was so much more he had to teach me, I remember being so happy when he would sit down with me and we would make the most beautiful music, it made my mom so proud. But when he died my mom thought that me continuing to learn the piano would be like honouring his memory, I thought of it more as betraying him. Learning under someone else made me sad." Yuzu had tears in her eyes as she spoke but she knew if she didn't say it all at once she wouldn't say it at all.

"So after I quit my lessons, I eventually stopped playing it in the house. After about two more years I told my mom to get rid of the piano that was in our house. Ever since then, whenever I heard classical music, which is what we used to play together, I would feel a sort of emptiness. Not from missing my dad but from the music itself, as if there would always be a part of it missing? I know it doesn't make much sense, it doesn't to me either, which is why I can't tell Mei. She will see that it brings about bad memories for me and stop wanting to play, I can't let my feelings get in the way of her learning something new. But I am going to have to put all my feelings aside as Mei wants me to go to the lessons with her," By the end, Yuzu was wiping her eyes with her sleeve and waiting for one of the two to say anything.

After several moments Matsuri spoke up, as Harumi still seemed to be hung up on the fact that both her best friend and girlfriend could both play the piano and failed to mention it to her.

"It's not that hard to understand, it was probably just the loss of your dad that you feel when you hear that type of music. Why don't you just tell Mei what you told us, and say that she can still do the lessons alone?" Matsuri still couldn't see why Yuzu was choosing to hide this from Mei, she was an understanding and kind person when she wanted to be and would probably know just what to say to Yuzu right now.

"Because if I do that she will stop playing. You should remember from when we were younger that if you are serious about learning the piano you need to play it every day. Which means that she will most likely buy a piano and play it when she's at home, you can't learn an instrument if you only practice 4 hours a week you would never get anywhere. So it wouldn't matter if she still attended the lessons without me, she would still be doing it when I'm home, and Mei knows this so she wouldn't continue. She already told me that yesterday." Yuzu was slumped in defeat in her chair, slurping her drink. Mentally stuck on a crossroad.

"Well, can you still play?" Harumi asked, wanting to be part of the conversation again.

"Yeah I think so, I remember how to read sheet music and my hands often just play on surfaces anyways, I mean I haven't touched a piano in years but I'm pretty sure I can still play, why?" Yuzu was slightly confused, she didn't really get where Harumi was coming from right now, how was this going to help her?

"Well if you absolutely aren't going to tell Mei and are set on going to the lessons why not just focus on something else while you are there and occasionally listen in. That way when the instructor asked you to try something you can just do it quickly and then go back to not being interested?" Harumi seemed quite proud of her idea, Matsuri scoffed.

"Yeah, cuz that's totally going to look like she has never played the piano before." Even at Matsuri's sarcastic comment, Yuzu was considering it, she had planned to do something like that anyways.

"Ha, or she could just have a quiet word with the tutour before Mei gets there," Matsuri continued to mock her annoyed girlfriend but what she said caught Yuzu's attention.

"Actually I could do that, that way she wouldn't ask any questions, and when I don't interact much I can just get her to play it off as 'that's just the way some students learn,' ahh that was a great idea. Thanks, Matsuri!" Yuzu was beaming now, feeling she had a solid plan in place.

 _'There are so many ways which this can go_ wrong' Matsuri thought to herself. "Are you sure about this Yuzu? You aren't the best at keeping secrets and if Mei finds out that you lied to her about something like this, it's going to hurt her, I don't want to see that happen. I still think you should let her know," Matsuri said, still frowning at the blonde.

"What are you talking about? I don't like lying either which is why I'm so bad at it, but this is for Mei. She was happier than I've seen her in ages going to that lesson, I am not being the one responsible for taking that away from her. Why are you being so prudent anyway? Just smile and be happy, we have a plan. She won't find out, remember what I said about not telling Mei, I'm serious about it." Matsuri only nodded in response, still disagreeing with what she planned to do.

"Sorry for making you guys come here to listen to me rant, but I really just needed to tell someone," Yuzu smiled sheepishly, Harumi, however, was ecstatic

"I can't believe you are a piano prodigy, you make me so proud, I want to hear you play something," Harumi was giving her biggest puppy dog eyes to Yuzu who lightly rolled her eyes.

"That's a bit far, yeah I understood and learned with ease but prodigy is a bit much. And I haven't played since I last taught Matsuri when I was about 8 or so," Yuzu said her face and ear pink from embarrassment.

As Yuzu spoke about playing the piano with her closest friends, she found that it wasn't as hard as when she thought about it alone. She wasn't on the verge of tears, nor was she thinking about her dad or how unpleasing her later lessons were. She was happy sitting in conversation with the two, would this be what it would be like if she told Mei, would it actually make things better?

 ** _Thanks for reading this chapter hope you enjoyed it, I thought it was about time I let you guys know what I had been planning for Yuzu's past._**

 ** _BTW, in this story, I didn't intend for it to come across that Yuzu hates the piano. In this I imagined her loving the piano, yet it brings her a slight emptiness, but she still thinks the music is beautiful._**

 ** _Anyways let me know what you think, :)_**


	16. Shopping

'Hey Yuzu sorry I'm not home yet, I'm out shopping I will be back soon. How was your lunch? x' Yuzu read the text from Mei and let out a slight sigh. It was already past half four, an hour after Mei was supposed to be home. Yuzu was sitting alone in their apartment waiting for Mei to get back, she had already made the preparations for dinner and was bored out of her mind.

'It was fine, what are you buying? xxx' Yuzu had a feeling she already knew the answer but she had to ask. Within minutes she got her reply,

'I'm at a music store, my tutor said I would need to practice every day if I want to improve at the rate I want to. So I may have bought a piano, sorry for not consulting with you first but I didn't think it would be a problem. x' _Yup knew it, right again Yuzu._ Yuzu thought it was predictable for Mei to do something like this, she had expected it since Mei had said she had researched playing. But she had to give her points for her dedication,

'That's a bit impulsive but I guessed you would do that, I take it the lesson went well? Also, can you try and be quick, I want a hug and dinner is ready, xxx' Yuzu replied to the text, walking over to the kitchen and turned on the stove, starting to cook the prepared food so it would be ready for whenever Mei got home.

'It was not! I will be home as soon as possible, I'm putting the order through now to get it delivered, I should be home within the hour and I'll tell you all about it x' Mei replied, Yuzu felt she could feel the glare Mei was giving her for calling her impulsive.

'Okay, I'll see you soon, I love you xxx' She shot back a quick reply, putting several love hearts and kisses at the end before making her way to their bedroom to grab her study books. If Mei was going to be another hour she had some time to kill, and with nothing better to do she thought she would revise some of her material from her previous semester.

'I love you too x' was Mei's reply, Yuzu placed her phone down and started on her revision.

A half hour had passed when Yuzu perked up at the sound of the front door opening,

"I'm home Yuzu," at Mei's slightly raised voice Yuzu rose from the couch to meet her at the door. The girl had an unusually large smile on her face and her eyes were sparkling, Yuzu could tell without asking that Mei had found the lesson to be exhilarating.

Wrapping her arms gently around Mei neck, Yuzu pulled her into a long-awaited embrace. Placing a light kiss on Mei's neck before she rested her head on the taller girls shoulder.

"So what did you think of the lesson, going by the fact that you bought a freekin piano I have to assume you liked it?" Yuzu asked whilst still clinging onto Mei. Mei, however much she loved hugging her girlfriend believed something was bothering her, her mind immediately thought something was wrong. Yuzu would normally greet her with a hug or kiss when she got home, but she usually managed to get five steps into the apartment first.

"Yeah it was good, Is everything okay?" Mei asked her smile fading somewhat. Yuzu looked up at the question, confusion settling in.

"Of course, I just missed you today. Is it wrong for me to want to give you a hug?" Yuzu pulled back, looking Mei in the eye her arms still draped over her shoulders as she gave her a caring smile.

"Yeah but you usually wait till I have my jacket and shoes off, or at least until I put my keys down," Mei smiled as she waved her jingling keys on her finger, proving her point to Yuzu, who in turn blushed a little as she let Mei go. "Oh sorry, I'll wait until you put your keys down, then I will give you a welcome home kiss." And although she was mildly embarrassed by her eagerness, Yuzu didn't hesitate to give Mei a long soft kiss after she had placed her keys next to the door.

"Okay, okay, let me get in and get changed first. I'm going to take a shower if you don't mind, and can you listen out for the door? The delivery said within an hour of purchase so it should be here soon." Mei said in a cheery tone as she hung up her coat and made her way into the living room. Yuzu quickly followed, wrapping her arms around Mei's torso from behind, she pulled Mei close and once again rested her head against her small shoulder.

"Can I get a proper hug first?" Yuzu voice was muffled by Mei's shirt but she felt the younger girl shuffle around in her grasp before bringing her arms up and around Yuzu's small frame.

"Sorry, forgot you wanted _another_ hug," Mei's sarcastic remark earned her a slight grunt from Yuzu, who after several moments pulled away.

"If they come while you are in the bath where are you wanting to put the piano?" Yuzu asked, she thought it would most likely go in the lounge as there wasn't really anywhere else to put it aside from their room, which was a no-go for Yuzu.

"Just somewhere in the living room is fine, where ever you think looks okay." Mei gave a final peck to Yuzu's forehead before she left for their room, leaving Yuzu alone once again.

As Mei had predicted, five minutes later the doorbell rang and within ten minutes of that Yuzu was staring at the electric piano sitting in her living room. Completely set up, it's sleek shiny wood taunted her, begged her to touch it.

Yuzu hadn't touched a piano in over a decade, the thought alone made her shiver. This beautiful instrument was sitting meters away from her and yet she was scared to touch it, scared to hear the elegant voice she knew it had.

Her conversation with the two girls earlier had brought back some of the fonder memories of her time playing the piano. How it would make her heart swell when she played for her mother and father, even her time trying to teach Matsuri was somewhat pleasant for her- having someone beside her when she played, to laugh and talk with, filled the void she felt when playing alone-. When she spoke her troubles this afternoon, that emptiness that had haunted her for years dissipated slightly. Allowing her to appreciate what she had been missing; the comfort of the piano, the melodies she played, the happiness it brought to both her and her family. Or perhaps just being able to talk about the piano without crying or feeling empty was what Yuzu had found so encouraging about today.

And so, here stood the piano that would decide if she took those feelings and played the piano with her heart intact, or turned and return to her cycle of avoidance and tears.

Yuzu slowly walked over, her fingers lightly dragging over the lid as she lifted it up: exposing the white keys. She found herself unconsciously sitting at the piano, the feeling was refreshing to her, that feeling enticed her fingers upon the untouched keys. They were cold and heavy, just like she remembered them to be. Upon the first key she pressed, she felt a wave of emotions hit her as if a breeze had somehow made its way into the apartment. Like taking her first breath of pure air in ten years, the single note rang through the apartment. The sound although brought her refreshment, it brought along great sadness with it. Much like her later lessons she felt alone sitting at the piano, however much it did bring her joy to play again the pain was still present.

Yuzu had mildly considered that after opening up about her fault to her friends perhaps things would be different, _Hmph I should have guessed nothing would have changed, it never_ will. Yuzu removed herself from the piano, closing the lid she walked back to clear her books and retire to the bedroom, no longer wanting to be in the presence of the one thing that denied her the happiness she desired from it.

She threw her books onto her desk, slightly knocking the chair with her foot. Was she angry? It was understandable, the thing she craved to enjoy, the instrument that used to bring her pure delight was rejecting her, denying her the right to its happiness. Yet Mei was welcomed by it, it made her so happy she had bought a piano just so she could play it again and love the sound it made, and Yuzu couldn't.

 _Surely I'm not mad Mei, that can't be... I'm not mad at her, I'm not mad at her, I can't be mad at her._ And although Yuzu's thoughts were stern, her eyes were watering up and she was viciously gripping the back of her wooden chair. Gritting her teeth to keep her anger in check.

Mei walked in, _Great timing Mei,_ Yuzu turned her back to Mei as discreetly as possible, attempting to hide her face and her knuckles that had turned white from gripping the chair.

"Thanks for waiting while they set it up, I didn't want to do it myself in case I broke anything." Mei's voice was uncharacteristically cheerful as she spoke, Yuzu gave her a quick 'no problem' keeping her back turned. She really needed these unwanted feelings to go away, she didn't think it was right to be mad right now but that didn't stop her from being so.

"I know it isn't much but can I show you what I learned today? The instructor said that I had a talent for it, I think it's going really well and I really enjoyed i-"

"Get out, please." Yuzu interrupted Mei, her voice slightly louder than a whisper but Mei heard her clear as day. Her tone was cold and she was refusing to look at her,

"What?" Mei slowly approached her rigid girlfriend, placing her hand on Yuzu's shoulder trying to get the girl to look at her. However, she willingly took several steps back when Yuzu spoke again, edging towards the door.

"I said get out. Get out, get out, get out, get out get OUT!" Yuzu's voice grew every time she repeated the words and at the end of her outburst she was slamming the door close on Mei confused face. She had let her anger get the better of her - it still had its grasp on her- she wanted to let these negative feeling out. Why was she feeling like this? She hardly ever raised her voice to Mei, especially not with so much violence.

She made her way back to her desk were she found herself pushing all her textbooks onto the floor in hopes of extinguishing her anger, only for her to stumble somewhat on the leg of her chair- that too was moved swiftly out of the way, creating another thud. She felt better, until she looked at the sprawl of books... _Shit those were expensive,_

Mei stood just outside the door, confusion and bewilderment evident on her face. Thinking it best to leave the angered blonde to calm down, Mei turned to leave. That was until she heard a loud clatter from the other side of the door, she immediately went to open the door to see what was happening yet it wouldn't budge, -Yuzu had locked it- so instead she knocked frantically.

"Yuzu are you alright?! -Another thump- Yuzu! What's going on in there?!" Mei's voice was loud and full of panic as she continued to knock on the door, aside from her voice and her knocking, the house had gone silent. She had no idea what had caused the girl to get so mad, she was certain she hadn't done anything that could make the other girl so angry.

 _What am I doing? This isn't me...Mei_. Yuzu gave a wavered sigh as she ran her shaking hands through her hair. With her anger substantially gone Yuzu felt the reoccurring emptiness take its place. It was only a matter of time until it came back. She had tried to play again, she had been hopeful and yet she was repaid with pain as per usual.

She had taken that rejection and turned it into anger, that she projected onto Mei. Speaking of which she noticed for the first time that Mei was knocking hard against their bedroom door, clearly worried about her brash actions.

"Yuzu open the door, please. Are you hurt?... Answer me, please" Her voice more like a gentle plea than the commanding tone she had used prior. Mei hoped that Yuzu would at least let her know if she was injured.

Yuzu slowly walked to the door but she couldn't raise her hand to the lock, she wasn't ready to face Mei. Instead, she dropped down to the floor, leaning her back against the wood.

"I'm fine Mei... sorry for shouting at you I didn't mean to. Do you mind leaving me for a bit? I need some time by myself..." Yuzu tried to keep her voice loud enough so that Mei would hear her but it was cracking, the tears were well on their way and she could do nothing to stop them.

"I'm not going anywhere, open the door Yuzu, I mean it." Mei voice was stern once again and Yuzu although hesitant, sat up and unlocked the door before shuffling out of its reach. As soon as Mei heard the 'click' she quickly opened the door, her eyes going wide at Yuzu weeping on the floor. Giving the room a quick once over she noticed that everything that was normally on Yuzu's desk was now lying in a pile of the floor along with her toppled over chair, meters from where it should be. But those items were of little concern to her at the moment.

Mei got to her knees so that she was level with Yuzu. She wasn't quite sure what to say, she didn't know what she had done wrong. So, she carefully wrapped Yuzu into a tight embrace, watchful of any resistance she might have had. The was none.

Yuzu's face found the familiar crook of Mei's neck as the arms around her back held her close, there was no holding back. She let out an ear-piercing cry as she sobbed into Mei's shoulder. Feeling both the cruel pain of the piano but also the grief of scaring Mei.

"Mei I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to shout or scare you, I'm s-sorry I raised my voice without reason. You did nothing wrong and I took my anger out on you... I was... jealous," Yuzu gave her a small explanation before returning to her cries, Mei said nothing, she was so lost. Twenty minutes ago she was giving her kisses and cuddles now she was shouting, crying and apologizing, Mei was very much lost.

After crying her heart out Yuzu stood and grabbed some clothes before heading for the bathroom, trying not to meet Mei's concerned eyes.

Mei sat dumbfounded on their bedroom floor as she watched her whimpering girlfriend, "Yuzu," Mei's voice was soft but questioning, Yuzu just shook her head as she left the room, signalling to Mei that she wasn't getting an answer.

 _What did I do to make her ignore me?_ _Jealous? I haven't been with anyone to make her jealous...Matsuri._

Getting her phone out Mei found the younger girls number and pressed the call button. Within the first few rings, she heard the familiar voice of the brunette.

"Isn't this a strange surprise, Mei calling Matsuri I think I might pass out from the shock." Harumi's cheerful sarcastic voice gave Mei shudders. She didn't have time for this, but then again Yuzu seemed to be closer to Harumin than Matsuri these days. If there was something bothering the blonde she would most likely go to her rather than the pink haired girl.

"Do you know what's wrong with Yuzu?" Mei got straight to the point, but she was slightly shocked herself with the response she got.

"Whatno!whywouldIknowanything, emm... MATSURI MEI WANTS TO TALK TO YOU." After the almost inaudible spur of speech, the line went quiet, after several seconds she heard an 'oh for god's sake' before Matsuri's voice came through the speaker.

"Hey Mei, what's up?" Matsuri seemed much more relaxed than Harumi before and after her loss of words.

"Going by her reaction I'm assuming you both know something I don't. Something is wrong with Yuzu and she won't tell me. She said something about being jealous but I don't know what's going on or what she could possibly be jealous about," Mei tried to be calm and collected but she was speaking in a rushed tone, she couldn't help it.

"Oh, what's this? Has Mei been sleeping around and was finally caught?" Matsuri spoke between laughs as she amused herself with teasing Mei. Who didn't take to her games.

"I'm being serious Matsuri, of course that's not the reason, I think I would know about that. Now, will one of you tell me what's going on?" Mei rolled her eyes at the accusation, of course she hadn't been sleeping with other people, that was preposterous.

She wanted to get whatever was going on with the blonde sorted out. She couldn't deal with Yuzu like this, she had little patience on any normal day, and with Yuzu screaming at her for no apparent reason and avoiding her it was only a matter of time before she blew. She really didn't want that, she wanted to fix the problem without an argument.

"Sorry but I have no idea what you're talking about, I haven't spoken to Yuzu," Matsuri cringed as the words left her mouth. She didn't mind a lie now and again, but she knew this was somewhat serious to the blonde. She wanted to help but that would be breaking her promise.

"However, _if_ there was something wrong with her I would make sure and be nice when I spoke about it to her, no losing your cool. I would _assume_ that she was scared to tell you because of what you would do, or rather wouldn't do to make her feel better. But I honestly don't know why she is jealous, oh and if she _were_ to tell me I would be sworn to secrecy and she would be very mad if she found out I had said anything." Matsuri hoped Mei would pick up on the suggestiveness in her voice and put the pieces together. She heard a sigh and she smiled slightly.

"Thank you, Yuzu won't know a thing, and tell Harumi she needs to learn the word discretion." Mei gave her thanks and gave a small smirk when she heard a laugh in response. With brief goodbyes, she hung up and tried to think of how to approach the subject. What could make Yuzu so upset that she refused to tell her? And what reaction could be so bad Yuzu kept to herself? _Is this about what she couldn't tell me last week?_

Even more worrying; would Yuzu even tell her if she asked? She didn't know what she could do to fix it if the girl wouldn't talk to her about.

So she sat on the edge of the bed, a nervous wreck, waiting for Yuzu to return from her successful escape at some alone time.

 ** _Thanks for reading this chapter, hope you liked it:)_**


	17. Yuzu's apology

Yuzu was sat in the bathroom, she hadn't even touched the bath. She had to use this time to think, why had she been so stupid as to let Mei see her like this? How was she going to get out of this one without a proper explanation?

If today had proven anything to Yuzu, it was that talking about her problem wouldn't help. Telling Mei would have no benefit for either of them, she would still be at war with her feelings and Mei would stop trying to learn the piano. However, it also proved to Yuzu that she most likely wouldn't make it through a two-hour piano lesson without making Mei suspicious.

Now her 'plan' was useless, what on earth was she going to do? Her stomach was in an endless cycle of clenching and unclenching, the thought of having to lie to Mei _again_ was nauseating. But there really was no choice, Mei would instantly give up her happiness for her and she couldn't let that happen.

 _I can't lie to her again, I'm just going to have to try and avoid talking about it. If I ignore the subject for long enough, Mei will surely drop it. Even if she does get mad at me she'll come around... I hope... Shit, I still have to fucking listen to her play._

After what felt like mere minutes Yuzu heard a knock at the door, followed by Mei's cautious voice.

"Umm... Yuzu are you okay in there? It's been over half an hour, I just wanted to make sure you were okay." Mei was extremely nervous, she hadn't felt this anxious to talk to the blonde since high school. This shouldn't be so hard, it was the fear of Yuzu blowing up at her again that had her on edge.

"Oh yeah, sorry I'll be out soon. Can you do me a favour and turn the stove off, dinner should be cooked by now?" Yuzu hadn't been for a shower like she had said a half hour ago, this was just another lie to add to her list at the moment. She didn't want that list to continue to grow, so, therefore, she actually had to shower.

"Okay... emm... are we going to talk over dinner?" Mei was once again cautious as she tried to approach the subject. Matsuri had said she had to be kind and considerate, she had to try to make Yuzu feel comfortable enough to talk to her about it.

"Mmhmn," Yuzu sounded as she waited for Mei to leave. Jumping in the shower, Yuzu got washed and dried as fast as she could.

She would go out and act as normal as possible, she just had to try and avoid looking at the piano. That would spark unwanted emotions that she really didn't have the time for right now. At the minute the only thing that concerned her was getting Mei to calm down. Yuzu truly felt horrid for shouting so loudly at Mei, for slamming the door in her face, when all the girl had done was talk about her day.

Walking out of their bathroom, Yuzu walked to the kitchen still towel drying her hair. With a large smile on her face, she walked over to Mei who had been watching her sceptically since she entered the room.

Taking an end of the towel in each hand, Yuzu placed it over Mei's head and around her neck. Tugging lightly she steered Mei towards her, her smile still growing.

"Hey, I'm sorry about before, it won't happen again." Speaking in a hushed tone Yuzu leaned in, brushing her lips lightly over Mei's before she kissed her properly. Walking Mei backwards, Yuzu deepened the kiss.

With Mei now up against the counter, Yuzu took the moment to release the cloth, taking the nape of the other girl's neck in her hand while the other wandered lower.

Yuzu could feel Mei's hesitation but she was participating nonetheless. _She's probably confused as hell right now._

 _Shit, I need to break the kiss, but if I do that she'll ask questions._ With her lungs about to burst, Yuzu broke away from the plump pink lips to catch her breath. With her lower hand grabbing frantically at the firm muscle beneath Mei's trousers, she worked light kisses along the pale jaw.

"Mmm, Yuzu... what are you... doing?" Mei's breath was ragged, whether it was from pleasure or surprise Yuzu didn't know but whatever it was, it was working.

"You," With her breath still harsh she connected her lips back to Mei's. Yuzu pushed her entire length against Mei, making her flush against the cupboards.

Their makeout was wet and dominant- on Yuzu's part. The moans Mei was emitting into Yuzu's mouth momentarily distracted her from her task at hand. She was becoming lost in their heated kiss, but Mei not so much.

Putting a light pressure on Yuzu's shoulder, Mei pulled away from the eager girl letting the air fill her desperate lungs. The slightly disappointed blonde didn't let the separation get to her, instead, she moved to lick and kiss her throat. But deciding not to linger as the bruises from the day prior were still prominent, leaving any fresh ones would probably annoy Mei.

"Yuzu stop, please." Mei pushed slightly harder against Yuzu. If this was Yuzu's way of feeling better about things it really wasn't good.

 _She is usually the one who wants to talk things out, not try and use sex as a distraction. If the roles where reversed and I was trying to hide my feelings -_ which had happened several times before _\- Yuzu would make me talk about it._

Yuzu stepped back at hearing her voice.

"Mei? Why'd you want me to stop? I was enjoying myself, weren't you?" Yuzu's voice had turned husky as she leaned back against Mei, her hand working up Mei's side again. Her lips dragging up her neck, teeth nibbled on her ear. God Yuzu wanted Mei to stop taking, she wanted to feel Mei's lips in a ferocious kiss. But clearly, she had other plans.

Oh _shit, I'm supposed to be acting normal... dinner, make dinner._ Yuzu's eyes snapped open, she stepped back once again and gave Mei an apologetic smile.

"Sorry Mei, got carried away. Did you turn off dinner like I asked? I'll start dishing up, can you set the table?" Yuzu backed off as she straightened out her shirt, edging towards the plates.

She heard Mei give a slight sigh of relief, before giving her a nod and walking over to set the placemats out.

Yuzu ate her food happily - as far as Mei could see-, while Mei played with her food, pushing it around her plate.

"Surely it doesn't taste that bad?" Yuzu gave a weak smile as she motioned to Mei's full plate. Mei seemed to look away from Yuzu for the first time since they sat down, to look at her plate.

"Oh no! It's not that, it tastes great, thank you... Yuzu? -Hmmm- ... What's wrong?" Mei kept her voice soft, she didn't want to make Yuzu feel uncomfortable or mad again.

Yuzu squeezed tight onto her chopsticks, as she stared down at her plate. "Nothing particularly, I was just in a bad mood." Yuzu knew herself it didn't sound very convincing but it was the best she had. Mei was getting irritated, again. _Stop lying Yuzu._

"I've seen you in a 'bad mood' before, never once has that made you shout at me like that or throw things across the room... You said you were jealous, but of what or who I don't know. I haven't been with anyone that I can think of that would make you feel threatened... I'm a little stuck here Yuzu, I need to know what I've done wrong to fix it. And for me to do that you actually need to talk to me." Mei was trying to appeal to Yuzu, trying to get her to understand that all she wanted to do was help, but the blonde still sat facing the table. Mei could practically hear the chopsticks grinding together in the blonde's gras _p._

 _Great, so she isn't going to tell me. Fuck sake Yuzu._

"Fine if you aren't going to tell me what's going on I'll find out myself. And you can clean up your mess in the bedroom." With that said, Mei got up and walked down the hall. Going by the length of time before Yuzu heard the sound of a slamming door, she suspected Mei had gone into the study.

 _I'm sorry Mei,_ tears started to form in Yuzu's eyes again. God how she wished this situation was slightly easier for her. She had shouted at Mei, concealed the truth from her- she didn't actually lie, she had had a bad day- and now Mei was mad at her for keeping secrets. _All I'm trying to do is make sure you don't give up this thing you are growing to love._

She sat at the table, head in her hands, cheeks covered in tears. She felt a slight vibration in her pocket, she pulled her phone out to find a text from Harumi.

'Is everything okay with you and Mei?" Yuzu was slightly confused, how did she know that something was going on with the two?

'Not really... How did you know?' She instantly got a reply back.

'Oh, Mei called Matsuri before cuz she thought something was wrong with you and you weren't telling her. She thought you would have told me or her, she seemed quite worried, so I was just checking up to see if you were okay. Are you?' Yuzu sighed, Mei must have been really worried, she usually liked to keep other people out of their arguments. She always said whatever they were fighting about was between the two of them, it was no one else's business.

'Did you guys tell her anything?' Yuzu didn't think they had, or Mei would have said something instead of asking her what was wrong.

'I'm okay, I really blew up at her though, like there is no way I can pull it off as nothing. I tried doing what you and Matsuri said to do earlier today. But when I actually played I felt the exact same way, then Mei came in saying how happy it made her and I just lost it. When I wouldn't tell her what was going on she got mad and left the room. I don't know what to do.' Yuzu didn't give the other girl time to respond before she was writing her long message. She was stuck, she didn't know what to do.

'She just said that you were upset and we couldn't say why. I think you should talk to Mei, either tell her and convince her to keep playing or don't tell her but reassure her, give her comfort. She is really worried about you.' she sighed.

'Yeah thanks, I'll speak to you later x' Yuzu knew she was right, but Mei was too stubborn to keep playing. She would be determined to stop, the only option was to try and make her feel better.

Abandoning her phone, Yuzu got up and walked down the hall to the study, where the door was tightly closed.

Without knocking she opened the door and entered, where she was met with Mei's cold glare from the other side of the desk.

Yuzu had dried her tears and cleared her throat, it wouldn't make Mei feel any better if Yuzu was still a mess. Giving a small smile, Yuzu walked around the desk taking Mei's hands in her own.

"Mei, can we talk, please?"

 ** _Sorry for the short chapter, but don't worry things shall be resolved. We will return to more fluff soon._**

 ** _Hope you liked it:)_**


	18. The Explanation

Mei watched Yuzu give a small smile as she placed herself on the desk in front of her. Mei waited in silence as Yuzu got her position right, still holding Mei's hands in her own.

"Mei, first off, I don't think you have been seeing anyone else or anything like that at all. I trust you more than that when I said I was jealous, it wasn't about seeing you with other people. It was about my... inability to do something that you could with ease." Yuzu had looked at Mei the entire time, who had looked right back and immediately noticed when the blonde broke eye contact.

Mei pulled her hands out of the blonde's grasp, placing them on her lap instead.

"Yuzu if you aren't going to be straight with me then I don't want to hear it. I've had enough games and lies if you have come in here to cover up some more you can leave." Mei had an authoritative voice as she stared at Yuzu. Yuzu shuffled uncomfortably under the strong gaze.

"I came in here because I didn't want us arguing about something that isn't worth arguing over." Yuzu was now looking directly at Mei again.

"Clearly it is. If it is futile to argue about it then how come whatever it is made you act like that? You were furious at me, now because I want to know what I have done wrong it suddenly isn't important? You are contradicting yourself, I didn't want an argument Yuzu but honestly, you've been lying to me for almost two weeks. I've had enough. I respected you wanted space last week when I pried, but you can't just blow up at me, give no explanation then act like everything is normal!" Mei was desperately trying to keep her volume in check, if she lost control then Yuzu would start shouting too and they wouldn't get anywhere.

"I'm trying to Mei. I've not been lying, as I said last week, I've dealt with it alone for years. There is no point in me telling you as you will make a rash decision that will inevitably end in you being sad. I don't want you loosing out on this because of me. Believe me, when I say you have done absolutely nothing wrong I mean it. You are perfect." Yuzu had reached to take Mei's hands back but she was swiftly denied the contact.

"What is it I would lose Yuzu? You aren't making any sense. You are skipping all the important details, I know as much as I did five minutes ago." Mei was growing significantly more annoyed at the blonde as she continued to dodge the question.

"Mei I-" Before Yuzu could even begin Mei had cut her off.

"No Yuzu! I want the truth. What is making you cry endlessly, have violent outbursts and lie to me? We are supposed to be a couple, you are supposed to share your burdens with me. Tackle them together, not bottle it up until you can't help screaming in my face and trashing the bedroom! ... What's going on? What do I need to do to make it easier for you, for you to open up to me?" Mei's voice had dropped notably as she asked her final question.

Yuzu was stuck still as if glue had her fixed in place, she watched Mei's eyes water.

"If I tell you it will have a chain reaction that will make you ups-" She was once again cut off.

"Can't you see that I am already hurting Yuzu? -Mei's voice broke- Watching you distance yourself from me, watching you suffer because of what I might do is heartbreaking for me! I want to help," A single tear had made its way over the edge of Mei's eye.

 _Watching you say that while crying is heartbreaking... Baby steps Yuzu, baby steps._

"Mei I... can't attend those music lessons with you. I don't want to go to them, I have no desire to play or be near a piano. I'm sorry," _That doesn't sound all that bad when I say it out loud._

"Is that it? Nothing else?" Mei was confused, why was that so impossible for her to say? Surely not wanting to go to a lesson wouldn't make her vandalise her own room, that in itself didn't make any sense.

"No... there is more but I..." Yuzu once again looked away, Mei saw her fingers jump into a jumbled pattern of tapping on her leg.

"Mei, can we do this another time? Tomorrow perhaps?" And although Yuzu had stated it as a question she was already clambering down from the dark desk, heading for the door.

"No Yuzu, we are doing this now.-Yuzu kept waking- Do not walk out that door!" Mei's voice was harsh and commanding, anyone else would have had a panic attack and died from the cold tone. Yuzu who was usually immune to her icy tone, stopped dead in her tracks. Not wanting to find out what would happen if she continued.

"If you didn't want to go to the music lessons why didn't you say so? I could have just went alone, I said that the day I asked you if you wanted to go. What are you missing out, it just doesn't add up?" Mei's voice had lost its cold quality that was replaced by a confused one. She got out of her chair and walked closer to the blonde.

Yuzu shuffled on her feet.

"I... wanted to go with you so we could do something together, I didn't want to let you down. You seemed really eager for us to do it together and I didn't have the heart to say no... I got mad earlier because when I tried to play the piano I just couldn't. I tried I really did, for you, but I just couldn't play," Yuzu said as she turned her body to face Mei though her eyes still steered to the floor, her voice breaking slightly.

"But Yuzu isn't that normal? If you couldn't play a certain piece of music, maybe it was too advanced for you. I mean you have never played before, it's only natural that you would struggle." Mei placed a hand on Yuzu's cheek, trying to encourage Yuzu to look at her instead of her feet.

"It's not my first time playing. I can/could play the piano, but I couldn't today. I got mad because I couldn't play anything and you... you were so happy about playing, it was just like rubbing salt in an open wound."

"Y-You can play the piano?!" Mei was shocked still, her eyes went wide and her voice cracked. She hadn't expected that.

"I never said I couldn't," Yuzu was watching her feet intently. She wouldn't say it to Mei, but it stung slightly that Mei was so shocked to hear that the blonde could actually do something that wasn't flipping through a magazine. That was Mei's image of her before she chose to go to med school; A free, laid-back spirit that done as she pleased. Of course, Mei loved Yuzu unconditionally whether she had a thousand talents or none, but the surprise Yuzu could see on her face hurt just a little.

"But if you already know how to play why wouldn't you be able to play?" Mei worked through her bewilderment to asked a serious question.

 _Guess there's no backing out. - internal sigh-_

"It's not that I can't physically play, more like mentally or emotionally. When I play or hear the piano I always feel a sort of emptiness, even when I talk about the piano I am reminded of it... I'm not sure how to describe it, its like I'm listening to this beautiful music, but I can't enjoy it. Emm... like eating your favourite ice cream but not being able to taste it. Wait no that doesn't work cuz I can hear perfectly... I don't know Mei, this is why I didn't want to talk about it. I can't put it into words." Her voice was so quiet at the beginning, Mei had to strain to hear her words property.

"I'm still not completely sure why, but if it makes you feel like this then why didn't you say something to me? I wouldn't have bought a piano, hell I wouldn't have even gone to the lessons. Yu-"

"That is exactly why I haven't said anything! You were so happy to start learning, this was the most excited I've seen you over something in ages. I didn't want to be the one to stop you from doing what made you happy. Even now, I will not accept you quitting. I don't care what you say, you are not and I mean NOT stopping something you are growing to love for me." Yuzu had looked at Mei for the first time since she had stopped her retreat from the room. Her eyes were stern, unwavering when they met Mei's violet orbs.

"But Yuzu if you are hurting having the piano here, I don't want it in the house. I was happy before I learned about the piano, and I will be when it's gone." Mei was positive Yuzu was being too stubborn. Yuzu's happiness was way more important to Mei than having a piano in her life.

She still didn't know why Yuzu felt like this towards the piano or when she even learnt it. She would have to ask that question later.

 _When did she learn the piano, does she even have the dedication to do that? I wonder how good she is?_

Silence filled the room, Mei was patiently waiting for Yuzu to respond. A nod, a verbal agreement, anything, but the trembling girl gave her neither.

More time passed and Mei was starting to think Yuzu planned to stand there all night.

"How was your lesson today, honestly? Answer me honestly please." Yuzu looked up again to meet the taller girl's eyes. Mei stood for several seconds, unsure what to say at the moment.

 _Isn't talking about it just going to be painful for her?_

"I found it to be insightful. The tutor was friendly, I got a quick briefing on reading sheet music but I already read about it before going. I got shown about the lettering of the keys, and I learnt a song... I thought it was fun." As Yuzu had asked Mei answered her honestly, but she thought it would only do more harm than good.

"Hmm, I knew you enjoyed it. Mei the piano is an amazing instrument, when I was younger I felt like I belonged next to one I thought it so beautiful. Things have changed for me, but they are just beginning for you, you have played for less than a day and I can see the joy it brings to your eyes. Yes, it may bring me sadness sometimes, but some things are worth being sad over. You getting this experience is one of them. You can continue your lessons, and perhaps when you play in the house use earphones? You playing, as wired as it sounds makes me proud of you... What song did you learn?" Yuzu was standing strong, she had confidence when she spoke and Mei heard it too. Her hands were now on Mei's hips and lightly pulled her closer.

"Marry had a little lamb, I know its not a hard song but I'm trying and I can almost play it completely with my right hand." Mei gave a slightly embarrassed smile. Yuzu drew her hand to cup Mei's cheek, turning her to face her. Giving a butterfly-like kiss to her lips, Yuzu smiled as she took Mei by the hand and lead her into the lounge.

"Play it for me," Yuzu could hear herself waver slightly as she drew nearer the piano.

"Yuzu, I don-" Yuzu cut in as she sat Mei down on the stool, placing her hands lightly on her shoulders.

"Play it for me, as much as you can remember. This is something you wanted to show me, and I want to hear what you learnt. So go ahead, don't be nervous just play it for me." Her voice was soft and caring, Mei couldn't deny her what she wanted. And although she had mixed feelings about it, she turned the piano on and placed her right hand slightly to the right of middle C.

Yuzu felt herself stiffen as she listened to the first notes being played. But she soon relaxed her body and listened as Mei came to a finish.

E, D, D, E, D, C- The notes sang loudly through the apartment, filling both Yuzu and Mei's ears.

"Well?" Mei looked to Yuzu expectantly, she suspected Yuzu to be crying or sniffling but when she turned her head to look at the blonde, she was doing none of these. Her eyes were closed, Mei could see a small smile on her lips, but most importantly she could feel Yuzu tapping the tune on her shoulders on both hands.

"That was perfect Mei, well almost, you played two Fs instead of Gs, but congratulations. See you can't give something like this up," Yuzu opened her eyes to see Mei looking in wonder for a moment before snapping her head back to the piano.

Mentally going through the song she had memorised she was sure she had played it right.

"No, I didn't. I think I remember from several hours ago." Mei retorted back, confident in her argument.

Yuzu leaned down so her front was pressed flush against Mei's back, she gave her a warm kiss to her pink cheek.

Yuzu still leaning over Mei, placed both her hands over the keys mere centimetres apart.

Mei was stuck between looking at Yuzu's hands or the eyes that were completely closed next to her cheek.

Her fingers started to move, E, D, C, D, E, E, E, D, D, D, BGG E, D, C, D, E, E, E, -, E, D, D, E, D, C-

"See? Its B G G," taking both hands off the piano, Yuzu brought them up to Mei's chest and wrapped her arms around her tightly.

" Y-Yuzu, how did you play both hands without looking?" Mei sat straight on the stool, waiting for Yuzu to release her grip or answer her question one of the two.

"Years of practice, but I'm rusty. I haven't played since I was young. My hand muscles aren't what they used to be, or my ability to read sheet music.." Yuzu gave a nervous chuckle, just from playing the short tune she could already tell that she had gone down several levels from her lack of playing.

"Yuzu you're not... crying," Mei pointed out, Yuzu was still smiling as she held Mei close.

"No, I guess I'm not. Perhaps it was your amazing playing," She placed another kiss on Mei's warm neck.

Mei smirked herself, "Maybe... Yuzu I know we have done a lot of talking tonight, but you still haven't told me why you get so sad." Mei got up from the seat as she placed her hands on Yuzu's shoulders, looking deeply into her bright emerald eyes. She could see the layer of water covering them but chose to keep to herself.

"I think I've said enough for just now... if you don't mind? It's been a long day, can we talk about it tomorrow, I promise I won't brush you off like I've been doing. I'm tired, starving, and I still have to clean up the stuff I threw on the bedroom floor." Yuzu waited for Mei to give her a small nod with a smile, before pulling her in for a much-needed embrace.

Mei smiled as she breathed in the smell of Yuzu's hair. Tonight although had its rough spots, Mei had learnt a redeeming quality about the blonde and figured out a good amount of her feelings.

"I love you," Mei whispered the three words into Yuzu's ear, that turned a pale shade of pink in response.

"I love you too, I'm so grateful to have such an amazing person like you in my life Mei. I'm sorry for keeping this from you for so long. I didn't plan for this outcome. I thought it would just be arguments and pain, but I was wrong." Yuzu pulled from the embrace to capture Mei's lips before she could respond.

Several long, passionate minutes later the two broke apart in dire need of air.

"How about we have another go at dinner?" After regaining her breath Yuzu spoke up, gesturing to the two almost full plates on the table.

Mei smiled, she was only just noticing how hungry she actually was.

"Okay," Giving a final peck to the blonde, the two made their way back to the kitchen, both smiling happily.

*.

Mei was currently sitting in bed resting against the headboard, her arms folded around Yuzu who's head was relaxing on her chest. Two questions had swirled her mind since dinner when their earlier conversation has been left: Why was Yuzu so sad when she played and how well could she play? The latter seemed more dominant in her thoughts. Was she Mozart good, or just could she just play nursery rhymes? Yuzu had kindly asked that the topic be dropped till tomorrow but Mei couldn't shut the thoughts out of her head.

The television was playing quietly, as the two sat drifting in and out of sleep. It was already past twelve, the two -Under Mei's instruction- usually went to bed before it got this late.

She didn't think she would sleep soundly without her questions being answered, but at the same time, she had already pushed Yuzu into speaking much more than she wanted to. Mei thought that speaking had helped somewhat, Yuzu had played without crying like she had claimed happened whenever she played or heard that type of music. So did that mean that she was over her fear or mental block when it came to the piano? Was it safe to bring up the instrument now? Mei didn't know and wasn't one hundred percent sure if she should.

She knew Yuzu was still awake as her fingers were drawing patterns on her stomach, and her breathing wasn't consistent. She trailed the blondes back lightly with her fingers, hoping that the motion was soothing for the blonde.

"Yuzu?" Mei was quiet and soft, she got a delayed 'Yeah?' back from Yuzu telling her to continue.

"I know you wanted to leave it till tomorrow, but I have a question I would like to ask if you wouldn't mind." Before Mei was even finished she heard Yuzu give loud sigh.

"What is it?" Yuzu had stopped her fingers, a clear sign to Mei that she was slightly annoyed at the question.

"If you don't want to talk about it that's fine, I will just wait till tomorrow. Sorry for disturbing you," Shuffling down onto the mattress, Mei prepared to forget the conversation, to avoid any more unwanted conflict, and go to sleep.

"I don't really want to talk about it, but clearly you do. What's your question?" Yuzu was now sitting up crossed legged on their bed, waiting for Mei to make her statement.

"I just wanted to know how well you can play the piano, nothing about when or why you learned just how good you are." Mei still lay on the bed, her eyes watching the ceiling as she waited to see if she would get a response. Which she did.

"I could once upon a time, play very well. Now I'm not so sure, I haven't played in years it is natural that my skill level would deteriorate over time. I think I would probably be able to play anything that wasn't too advanced, after several months of daily practice perhaps I would be as good as I used to be. But that is just me guessing from playing a thirty-second nursery rhyme, I could be totally wrong and only be able to play the most basic of things. Not that it really matters, I don't play anymore. Does that answer your question?" Yuzu said, finishing off in a rather bland tone. Before she got her answer she flopped onto her back on the bed, ready to go to sleep and leave the long day behind her.

Mei did the opposite, shooting up into a sitting position to look over Yuzu, her expression a mixture of annoyance, confusion and concern. "Why wouldn't it matter? I just found out that you can play the piano, with your eyes closed no less, it's only normal for me to want to know how well you can play. And why wouldn't you continue to play, I thought today meant that you had moved past whatever was holding you back," And although Mei's words were genuine, Yuzu couldn't help feeling that she was being slightly nieve.

"Playing the piano for less than a minute doesn't wipe away a life's worth of pain and tears Mei, that is not how feelings work... If that's all you wanted to ask, then I'll be going to sleep now. Goodnight." With her salty remark over, she turned onto her side facing away from Mei.

Instead of getting mad as she normally would at being spoken to like this by the blonde, she took her earlier advice and moved closer to Yuzu almost as if she was spooning her. Placing one arm over Yuzu's stomach she pulled the blonde into her, giving Mei the perfect opportunity to give a lingering kiss to the back of Yuzu's neck. Then another, and another and another, each time slowly moving around the pale neck to reach her cheek, when she was finally able to give the last kiss to Yuzu's flushed cheek, she was up on one elbow leaning herself onto the blonde.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to assume anything Yuzu. I didn't mean to push, please don't be mad." At Mei's actions and words, Yuzu let out a small giggle and turned onto her back so she could see Mei.

"I'm not mad, I just don't know how I feel yet. I need time to figure things out, I have no idea why I didn't get upset earlier I haven't had a chance to wrap my head around it yet. And I know I kind of dropped this like a bombshell on you today and like me, you haven't had time to process everything and probably have lots of questions for me, but I need you to give me a bit of a break. It's been a long day, I hadn't even planned on telling you any of this so I just need a day or so to collect my feelings. Can you do that? And tomorrow you can ask away," Mei's face softened as she listened to her girlfriend's explanation, giving her a peck on the lips Mei gave a small smile.

"Okay," Mei leant down to give her girlfriend a soft kiss, pressing her entire body against Yuzu in a slow grinding motion. That soft kiss escalated into a heated one, while Mei's motions never ceased. "Mhmn Mei... It's late, I'm tired..." Yuzu spoke through ragged breaths as Mei broke the kiss. Mei, however, moved to Yuzu's neck placing feather-like kisses to it, working her way down to her exposed collarbones.

"You don't have to do anything, let me do the work... I'll be quick," And just like she said, Mei moved swiftly, her hands already snaking up the inside of her shirt as her tongue never failed to pleasure Yuzu's upper chest.

"M-Mei!" Yuzu's back arched when small soft hands made contact with her already erect nipples, her voice hitching in her throat.

*.

"Yuzu get out of bed, it's late," Mei demanded as she cruelly pulled the warm covers from the bed, exposing a still tired Yuzu to the fresh air of the apartment.

"Go away Mei, I'm tired and it's your fault. You were definitely not quick last night like you said you'd be. I swear I didn't get to bed till at least half two. So the least you can do is leave me to sleep," Yuzu was abundantly clear as she turned her face into the pillow, trying to get as far away from the light as possible.

Folding her arms across her chest Mei smiled confidentiality. "I didn't hear you complaining once I got started, if I remember correctly your exact words were, ahem 'Ohh God Mei don't you dare stop! Fuck me all night!' And although I don't particularly like that sort of language, I thought it a clear indication to proceed. Wouldn't you?" Walking over to the blinds, Mei dramatically pulled them up at the end of her accusation.

An unsatisfied groan was all she got in response.

"I'm serious though, get up. We're going out today, and I want to be out before it becomes unbearably hot." Mei was already fully dressed, covering her entire body as some marks were still visible. She walked to the blondes wardrobe, and picked out casual clothes and threw them onto Yuzu curled up body.

"Get up, shower, have breakfast and then we're leaving." She was already on her way out of the room when she stopped at the sound of Yuzu's croaky voice.

"Where are we going, I thought you wanted to spend today asking me questions?" Yuzu was now sat up in bed holding her clothes to cover her bare form.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean that we can't go out right? I don't want to just sit in the house, we are going for a morning stroll, well late morning now. We can talk while we walk." Mei was now looking into Yuzu's eyes, the still tired eyes seemed to fall back to sleep when she heard what Mei said.

"A walk? Did you wake me up from an amazing, much-needed sleep to go on a walk? That's mean Mei." Yuzu showed her annoyance as she swung her legs over the side of the bed, quickly changing into her clothes that were scattered on the floor from the previous night.

"Give me twenty minutes," And with that Yuzu sluggishly made her way down the hall to the bathroom.

While Yuzu was in the shower Mei made her way to the kitchen to prepare her something to eat.

Only fifteen minutes later Yuzu appeared, wearing fresh clothes and a very small smile.

"Morning, sorry for waking you up when you clearly wanted more rest, but unlike you, I currently have to cover my entire body so I didn't want to go out later when it going to be too hot." Mei gave a smirk as she placed a plate and a cup of tea down on the table.

"Yeah, yeah I get it, it's my own fault." Slumping down into her seat at the table, then slowly started to eat her food.

"Are you okay? You aren't usually this grumpy in the morning." Mei sat opposite her girlfriend, watching her closely. It was true that Yuzu had the occasional bad morning, but she was usually like a ball of sunshine and energy when she got up.

"I'm fine, just tired is all. Where were you planning on going today?"

"Emm I'm not all that sure, I thought we would just take a walk around the park or something. I don't have anything planned, but I thought maybe you would want out of the house today." Mei glanced slightly to the piano that lined the wall just to the left of Yuzu, concern written on her face.

"Mei, I appreciate that you care, but I already told you that you aren't giving up the piano. So I'm going to have to get used to it being here." Yuzu glanced back, before looking back to Mei.

"Still, we could use to get out of the house. Come on, time is not slowing down let's go before it gets too late." Mei stood from the table and reached her hand out to Yuzu, who took it with a smile.

"Okay, let's go." taking her hand Yuzu jumped up from the seat, a larger grin on her face.

Mei led Yuzu off the street and onto a forest path, hoping that the scenery would make Yuzu feel relaxed.

"Thanks for bringing me here Mei, it's really beautiful." Yuzu leaned in and gave Mei a chaste kiss on the cheek.

"No problem, I like this... So is now a safe time to ask my questions?" Mei was hesitant, the moment was perfect she didn't want to ruin it by asking if it would make the blonde uncomfortable.

"Go ahead," Yuzu held Mei's hand tighter as they walked alongside the trees and bushes.

"O-Okay, can you tell me when you learned the piano, or for how long you played it before you gave it up?" Mei thought she would start off somewhat simple, ease her into talking about it.

"Okay, well I started to use the piano when I was two, but obviously I didn't actually learn anything till I was three to four. I was a pretty fast learner, I think because I was surrounded by it growing up. I practised until I was seven or eight, after that, I played it occasionally till I was about nine. A lot of that in-between time was spent teaching Matsuri how to play. After that, I stopped playing... Next question?" Yuzu tightened her grip slightly on Mei's hand, but she felt comfortable enough holding Mei.

"Why'd you stop after so many years of playing, Isn't that a waste if you spent all that time learning it?" This aspect of the story confused Mei. She didn't understand why Yuzu would dedicate so much time to something then throw it away.

"I stopped because I didn't like my new teacher. He was too strict and wouldn't let me play what I wanted. After him, I think I had one other teacher but it was the same type of thing. And I really missed my first teacher so I saw it as betrail learning under someone knew. So after a long four years of these weekly lessons, I told Mama I don't want to learn anymore. Next question?" Yuzu gave Mei a weak smile as she swung their arms through the air.

"Okay... Who was your first teacher that the others didn't amount to?" Mei was once again careful as she thought about her question. She wanted to leave the big one till last or at least get most of it out in bits and pieces, hoping that it might be easier on the blonde. Not that she seemed to mind Mei's questions at the moment.

"Umm... It was... My dad. Before he passed." Yuzu had gone quieter, as she answered his question. Indicating to Mei that, things were getting to the upsetting part of her story that would make her slightly more uncomfortable.

"Your dad? I thought he died when you were three, how can you remember way back then?" Mei slowed their pace slightly so she could get a better look at Yuzu, who was focusing on the greenery around them.

"Yeah he died when I was three, but I was pretty close to being four. He was a really kind and fun man from what I can remember. When he taught me the piano we would laugh and have fun, experiment and make our own songs as well as learning classical music. That was his favourite musical style. Anyways when he passed, Mama thought it was a good idea to book me a new tutor but it just wasn't the same. It wasn't fun anymore, they just wanted me to learn the concepts and play them before moving onto something new. When I was with my dad we would just have fun, he would let me play whatever I wanted. When I moved on to his replacement, the piano lost that happy aspect, for me at least... Next?" Yuzu gave Mei a weak smile when she noticed she had stopped walking.

"It's okay Mei. You know that I'm at peace with my dad dying. I loved him to pieces and when he passed it was sad but I got over it, just like I told you years ago." She gave a small tug to Mei's arm, encouraging her to keep walking. Which after several moments she did.

"I know, you said you were fine with it because you could talk to him whenever you wanted. But if you are fine with that, then why do you feel 'emptiness' when it comes to the piano? I assumed it would have been related to the fact that you miss your dad, but you just denied that so?..." Mei was once again confused, at this point she was confused more often than not at Yuzu's story.

"I never said I didn't miss him, I do all the time. I said I've made my peace that he's gone. I think its more the fact that when I played with him it was always laughter and jokes, when he was gone I didn't have that anymore. I guess I just felt alone when playing and that eventually just merged with the music itself. So when I heard the music I felt alone, I'm not sure. It could be that or a whole other reason. Next one?" Yuzu kept her head high as she walked, watching the green pass her by as she listened to her environment. Mei had accomplished trying to get Yuzu to feel relaxed, this is so much nicer than the apartment.

"If you felt like that then how come you taught Matsuri after you gave up your lessons? I don't see how trying to teach someone with her... personality would make you feel better." Mei asked question after question, she knew now would probably be her only chance before the conversation was dropped for good.

"It may surprise you, but Matsuri wasn't the loudmouth she is today. She was alone most of the time, and I guess she found comfort being with me. I taught her how to play, as by then she was like my family. When we sat down together and I tried to teach her, she would make mistakes and mess up a lot but it was fun. We would laugh about it and move on, it was casual not the strict environment of my previous lessons. Maybe she knew I wanted to have fun with it again and learned to make me happier, I don't know. But eventually, I stopped playing even with her, and so here we are... Do you have any more questions? I feel like we have covered everything," Yuzu turned to meet Mei's sympathetic gaze.

Mei stopped walking and pulled Yuzu to a halt, "I have one more," Yuzu nodded, prompting her to continue and went to carry on walking but Mei kept still.

"Why didn't you want to tell me. Even before I wanted to learn the piano, why didn't you want my help. I don't see a problem right now, I don't care any less about you or am I judging you for it, so why did you hide it for so long?" Mei looked into Yuzu's glistening emerald pools, she couldn't tell what she was thinking or feeling at this very moment.

"I already told you the answer to that... I dealt with it myself for years and that's how I wanted to keep it." Yuzu looked away-There it is.

"Your lying," Mei proceed to question Yuzu. It was easy for Mei to know when Yuzu was lying, unless she hid it very well. Yuzu couldn't lie while looking Mei in the eye, it seemed almost physically impossible for her.

"It's silly," Yuzu mumbled under her breath, but Mei pulled her closer so their faces were mere centimetres apart.

"What's silly?" Yuzu tried to put some distance between the two but alas Mei would not comply.

"I didn't say anything because this all happened over a decade ago! It's idiotic for me to be getting so upset about this now. I didn't want to say anything because I didn't want to look like such a big crybaby or to look so weak in front of you." Yuzu looked away from Mei, feeling guilty for shouting and weak for her feelings.

Mei, however, didn't flinch, she had expected Yuzu to have shouted before now.

"I don't think it makes you weak because you had a bad experience as a child and it still affects you to this day. That would be hypocritical of me to judge you for something like that. I don't think you are weak, I think it makes you strong for going this long without help. But everyone needs help every now and then, you could have come to me in thirty years and I still wouldn't have thought you weak for being upset about this." Smiling softly she took Yuzu's face in her hand, giving her a kiss to the forehead.

When she pulled away, she motioned for the two to continue walking. Yuzu gladly fell into stride with Mei, her hand clasped tightly in Mei's. Yuzu for what felt like the first time in years felt her heart grow warm at the thought of the piano instead of the emptiness.

 _Maybe telling Mei was a good thing..._

"Do you have any idea what you are going to do now? In regards to the piano, I mean," Mei asked while looking across to meet Yuzu's bright eyes watching her constantly.

"I'm still not sure, you have made me feel better today, but I don't know what's going to happen when I play something real. But you can attend your lessons like planned, and you can practice at home without worry." Yuzu nodded in Mei's direction before turning back to the footpath that was starting to lead back onto the pavement.

"Looks like our morning walk is coming to a close. Probably for the best, it's getting hotter. C'mon lets head home." Yuzu smiled brightly to Mei as she skipped several steps tugging her amazing-according to Yuzu- girlfriend behind her.

When they finally got back to the house, Mei stated that she had some family work to catch up on and retired to the study. Yuzu, however, had nothing to do, so like she usually did when bored, sat on the couch and watched one of her many T.V dramas.

But after over two hours of watching television by herself, Yuzu switched it off and just sat on the couch. She hadn't found today all that bad, Mei had been more understanding that she initially thought and even more shocking to Yuzu she didn't feel a lot of pain as she eyed the instrument on the other side of the room.

Much like yesterday she felt drawn to it, but if she played would the same thing happen, would she not be able to play? Would today all have been for nought?

Even still, Yuzu found that she was once again sitting on the stool in front of the piano, her hands unconsciously going to lift the lid.

"Yuzu?!" Mei's shout from her study pulled Yuzu out of her daydream, making her quickly retract her hands from the piano. Getting up from the stool she quickly made her way down the hall to the study, opening the door Yuzu leaned against the frame.

"What's up? I thought you were doing family stuff?" Yuzu looked at Mei from the doorway, she was sitting with her laptop open in front of her. Yuzu thought most likely reading an email from her grandfather. Mei still preferred to do things in the traditional manner of pen and paper- it gave her a chance to show off her near perfect handwriting- but emails were faster, and a lot of the business Mei was required to look over needed to be looked at asap rather than waiting for the post.

"I am, but one of the things Grandfather wanted to ask me concerns you. Please be reasonable when you read this," Mei pointed to her laptop screen and motioned for Yuzu to read the email.

After Yuzu quickly scanned the screen, she looked at Mei confused. "I don't know what this is, what is he getting at?" Yuzu doubled back on the glowing screen but still came up empty-handed. She raised her brow to Mei as she turned the screen back to Mei.

"He's asking what's going to happen with my living situation in five years once I finish my course." Mei sat in her chair and gave Yuzu a sorry look.

"What do you mean, I thought we would still be living together in five years?" Yuzu perched herself on the edge of Mei's desk, as Mei swivelled her chair to sit in front of her.

"My business course lasts six years, after that, I should be going back to help run the school again. So it makes sense that I would move back there. But your biology course is four years, then after that, you've got to pick what medical school you want to go to, and that is another four years. So I don't really know what to tell him, I don't know where you want to go to medical school so I don't know what to tell him." Mei placed her hands on the arms of her chair as she swung slightly.

"Mei that's ages away, yeah after Uni I have to go to medical school but I don't know where I'm going to go until I finish my bachelors here. If you need to move back home once you have finished your course, then I'll move back with you. I'll try and get into a school that's close by, even if I do get into one that is a while away I can just get the train there and back. So tell Gramps that everything is fine," Yuzu smiled down to Mei, who seemed to have a relieved smile on her face.

Yuzu had her ideas of where she wanted to go to medical school, but until she finished her bachelor's degree which she had chosen to take in Biology, she didn't have a plan.

"Are you sure?" Mei questioned, Yuzu jumped down to her feet and gave Mei a soft kiss to her cheek, "I am absolutely positive. Why was he asking that anyways? Its ages till you finish your course?" Yuzu asked,

"He just likes to be prepared, nothing more," Mei gave a roll of her eyes with a smile on her face, making Yuzu giggle before starting to head out.

"Do you wanna try and finish up here? I'm getting pretty lonely through there by myself." Yuzu smiled as she walked to the door, and smiled in triumph when she got 'Yeah, sorry I'll be through soon'.

Yuzu was about to close the door when she caught a small glimpse of the piano on the other end of the house. Turning back into the room Yuzu closed the door and walked in, Mei looked up confused.

"Do you mind if I just stay in here, I'm don't want to be alone." Yuzu shuffled back into the room and sat down on the small couch that sat on the wall to the left of Mei's desk.

"Yeah sure, but can you try and keep quiet? I'll try and finish up quickly so we can get out of here, or if you want I can just bring my laptop through to the lounge so you don't have to be in here?" Mei started to stand from her chair but Yuzu quickly stopped her.

"No don't worry, sit through here where you're comfortable. I've been through there for hours, a change of scene would be nice. So just take your time, I'll just sit here on my phone," Mei smiled over to Yuzu and sat back down in her chair and turned back to her screen, writing her reply to her Grandfather.

 _So even after we sort things out I'm still trying to avoid it._ Yuzu pulled out her phone and like she said, stayed reasonably quiet as she waited for Mei to finish up so she could leave the room.

* * *

 ** _Thanks for reading this chapter, hope you liked it. I wasn't sure if that sounded realistic or not, let me know what you think. :)_**

 ** _Hehe, I'm not 100% sure if that was the right notes for the nursery rhyme, but I wrote it from memory. Apologies if anyone reads it and figures out its wrong;)_**


	19. Cuddles

Mei was taking longer than anticipated and Yuzu was beginning to get bored. It had been a half hour since Yuzu sat down on the spare couch in Mei's office, and while she had mostly been looking through random social media, something Matsuri had said to her had been turning in her mind.

Matsuri had matured somewhat over the past few years, but she still played a vast amount of video games on a variety of platforms. A little while ago she had brought up the subject of Yuzu getting a gaming console. Yuzu had initially denied the request, saying that she didn't have the time or the need for one, yet over the past couple of days it seemed to become more and more appealing.

Maybe it was because Mei had a new hobby or she was bored or perhaps a distraction, Yuzu didn't know, but she already had an online shopping cart full of potential games. Yuzu had decided on getting a PS4, she didn't know much about consoles so she chose this one purely because she liked its design.

On any normal online shopping spree, Yuzu would just buy the items as it usually only consisted of a new pair of jeans or heels, nothing more than ten thousand yen. Which Mei didn't mind -Unless it was a totally pointless purchase-.

However, this was slightly on the expensive side, making it a little hard to bring up in casual conversation. But if she ordered it before six pm she could get next day shipping, that was always a bonus.

Of course, Yuzu couldn't just buy it and hope Mei wouldn't know how much it costs. The app was on her phone -under Yuzu's account as Mei didn't want to have one of her own-, and she would get a notification thanking her for her purchase. That would not be a good day for Yuzu.

Dragging her eyes from her phone screen, she hovered her thumb over the 'Buy Now' button.

"Mei... would you mind if I bought something?" Yuzu asked hesitantly. Although it would come off Yuzu's card she still liked to confirm these types of things with Mei. They had separate bank accounts, but they both acted as if all money was shared.

"I don't see why not," Mei answered not even looking up from her laptop, but then she froze. _Yuzu never asks before buying her usual things online... what does she need me to confirm for her to buy?... Better not be 'that' type of manga again._ A shudder ran down Mei's spine as she was reminded of a time she had signed for one of Yuzu's 'special' manga deliveries, where the contents were clearly marked on the box. The suggestive look she got from the delivery man still made her cheeks redden in embarrassment.

"Wait, what are you buying?" Mei had stopped her work to look at the nervous blonde. Yuzu glanced back and forth between her phone and Mei, clarifying in her mind that she definitely wanted it.

"A gaming system and some games..." Yuzu said with a shy grin, hoping that would be enough to convince Mei, who was, by the way, sending physical glares in her direction.

" _Before_ I say no, why do you want something that is such a ridiculous waste of time?" Now ignoring her work she focused solely on Yuzu, waiting to see if she could give a viable argument. Which in Mei's opinion, no argument would ever be viable, a game was a waste of time that could be better spent doing something constructive.

"I dunno, I've been getting bored lately and Matsuri said I should get one because they are fun. I had originally said no, but it does seem quite entertaining... And I found a couple of games I think I would really like, maybe you would like to play it too?" Yuzu knew that last part was a failing attempt to pique Mei's interests, but she could see by the look on Mei's face that she was about to be turned down.

After several long moments of thinking, Mei finally sighed as she gave into Yuzu's bright, hope-filled eyes. She had no resolve when looking into those eyes.

"Fine, but I don't want you becoming addicted like she is. And your studies must always come first, if you start choosing to play it over doing your priorities I will make sure it leaves this apartment." Mei's gaze was still strong but Yuzu saw the crack in her armour, and a smile spread across her face only to fall slightly seconds later.

"Don't you want to know how much it is first?" Yuzu asked, hoping she wasn't about to make Mei change her mind. Obviously, Mei wasn't strapped for cash on any given month nor was Yuzu, but she didn't like spending money where it wasn't needed.

"Not really, a game can't cost more than seven thousand yen or so, right?" Mei once again raised her brow to Yuzu at her continuation of the subject.

"A game yes, but for the console as well, it's slightly more expensive. And I want to get two controllers so if you or guests wanted to play then they can, oh and a charging dock for the controllers. So it's an itty bitty bit more than seven thousand." Yuzu scratched the back of her head as a mischievous grin made its way over her face. Mei knew an 'itty bitty bit' wasn't as small as Yuzu was joking it to be.

"How much more then?" Mei was getting impatience at Yuzu's coyness, she knew Yuzu was stalling for a reason and that reason was about to be revealed.

"Emm... A little over fifty thousand Yen." An awkward smile once again took hold of Yuzu as she shrunk a little under Mei's shocked expression.

"You want to spend that much money to play a game- "two games" Yuzu corrected- I don't care if it is one or ten, spending that much on something so unnecessary is not worth it," After recovering from her dismay, Mei immediately shut down the idea.

"I know it's kinda a lot but c'mon, everyone has these things now. Plus, I can tell just by looking at that piano that you paid a hundred and forty thousand yen minimum, so you can't pull the money card. I know a piano is slightly more practical but I want this...Pretty please?" Yuzu gave her best puppy dog eyes, that she knew would make it extremely difficult for Mei to say no to.

"After talking to the man at the store I was told that it was one of the best pianos they owned, and _we_ will be using it much more than you will that console...Fine," Mei gave a defeated sigh after defending her purchase. Moments later a 'bing' came from Mei's phone, she looked down her face turning to one of minor disgust as the notification for Yuzu's item came up on her screen.

"Thank you, thank you thank you! I love you Mei!" Yuzu squealed as she almost jumped off the couch in victory; Mei rubbed the bridge of her nose knowing she was going to regret this sooner or later.

*.

The night had been spent with the two snuggled up on the sofa engaging in small talk and watching random movies. Contrary to what you may believe, it was Mei's request that the two spend their evening like this. Claiming it had been ages -several days- since they had had some proper quality time together, without any interruptions or tasks to do.

Yuzu obviously had no objections to Mei's request, she missed cuddle time as much as Mei did, perhaps more. So, shortly after Mei had finished her work they ate dinner and had spent from then watching movie after movie. The short silences that happened between conversations were sweet and comforting, just holding each other was enough.

It was now into the late hours of the night and the two would soon be preparing for bed. Mei was lying between Yuzu's legs, her back to the blonde who's hands were wrapped around her waist, holding one of her hands. Yuzu had discreetly tried to get Mei to move so they could move to their bedroom, but every time she tried Mei kept still and asked for an extra five minutes.

Yuzu loved this side of Mei, it showed that she wasn't the only needy one in the relationship. But they really needed to move, Yuzu felt like she was going to pass out at any moment and sleeping on the couch would not do her back any favours tomorrow.

"Mei, we really should be heading to bed. I'm going to fall asleep here, we can cuddle in bed. If we sleep on the couch we will both have a sore back tomorrow," Yuzu said softly as she traced the back of her unmoving girlfriend's hand.

"But I'm warm and comfortable, I don't want to move. I'm happy just to sleep on you, I have a blanket and you are a good pillow," Mei smiled smugly to Yuzu, before getting into a sleeping position and nuzzling her face into Yuzu's chest. After several moments she stilled under the blanket and fixed her eyes onto the television.

Yuzu wasn't uncomfortable with Mei sleeping on her, she wasn't exactly heavy but the couch wasn't made for a good night's rest.

"Mei I'm serious, you can lie on me like this once we are in bed I promise, but pleeease don't make me sleep here," the whining tone in Yuzu's voice struck a chord in Mei. She knew that she wouldn't give up, there would be no point in Mei even trying to ignore her and stay put. So, she reluctantly moved to a sitting position, shivering as the heat between the two was lost.

Taking the remote, Mei turned the TV off and even more begrudgingly than getting off Yuzu, ever so slowly peeled the blanket from her skin exposing her to what felt like the north pole. Waiting a few seconds till she adjusted to the temperature of the room, Mei started to get up.

Yuzu quickly pulled her legs from around Mei so she could stand and like lightning, she was kneeling in front of her now shivering girlfriend.

"Mei are you mad at me? Please don't be. If it upsets you we can stay here, I really don't mind. C'mon lay back down," Yuzu was struck with panic as Mei silently removed herself from Yuzu, she was expecting more fight or at least some form of agreement to going to bed. The action of getting up and turning off the TV without any explanation, made Yuzu immediately think she had upset Mei, and she didn't want that.

"Yuzu it's fine, honestly. We can go to bed, it's not fair for you to get a sore back because I was too lazy to walk to the bedroom. You can go through and put something on I just need to use the bathroom." Mei got up and made her way down the hall, and although Mei in her own way had reassured Yuzu that everything was fine, Yuzu still felt slightly guilty. It wasn't very often Mei showed great signs of affection, yes she initiated sex at least once a week but being lovey-dovey was a completely different matter.

Mei taking Yuzu somewhere romantic was a hard thing to find in itself, but her refusing to move from the blonde was an even rarer treat for Yuzu. It usually happened every couple of weeks or so, where Mei would get especially clingy. Whether it was because they were on their periods -their cycles had synced up within the first two years of their relationship, something they were both thankful for... except for hormones and mood swings they skyrocketed, creating a... 'tense' atmosphere in the apartment- or because the two had been lacking in affection, which wasn't very often as Yuzu was always keen to spend her time with Mei, it didn't matter. Yuzu savoured the moment.

Yes, they cuddled most nights before going to bed, but Mei always made sure they got to sleep at a reasonable time. So, Yuzu felt bad that the one time Mei wanted to stay up and cuddle she felt like she was going to pass out from exhaustion.

But like Mei had asked, Yuzu folded the blanket on the couch and made her way to their room. She put a random show on for background noise and shuffled under the covers. Sitting in a similar position to her one in the lounge in hopes that Mei would still want to snuggle up.

Mei soon came into the room, closing the door and turning off the lights so the room was only illuminated by the glow of the TV screen.

Upon seeing the younger girl Yuzu pulled back the covers and motioned for Mei to get into bed with her. Mei followed suit and climbed into bed, wanting to be under the covers as soon as possible. However, she didn't quite do as Yuzu hoped. Instead of lying on her as they had previously been doing, Mei wrapped herself in covers and lay close to Yuzu but with her back turned.

"Goodnight," Mei said as she struggled to retain the warmth of the covers. Yuzu didn't think Mei sounded mad or upset, but then again she was always good at hiding her feelings. Moving from her lying position to prop herself up on her elbow Yuzu lightly rested her other arm on Mei's waist on top of the covers.

"Mei, don't you want to lie next to me? When I said I wanted to leave the living room, I didn't want to stop holding you. If I made you feel like I didn't want you to cuddle up to me I didn't mean to, please come here," As Yuzu finished her sentence she gently dragged on Mei's hip trying to encourage her to turn around.

"I know Yuzu, you made that very clear in the lounge," Mei gave a very subtle chuckle as she moved back into the blonde, pushing her body against Yuzu's but not turning around. Yuzu instinctively wrapped her arms around Mei, head coming to rest behind her neck were her lips left soft kisses.

"...Sorry if I made you feel bad," Yuzu spoke quietly as she placed a few more kisses on Mei's neck.

"Yuzu I already said you didn't, I'm fine I promise but you said you were extremely tired so go to sleep. I won't accept you sleeping in late." Mei said in a rather stern voice but she was smiling to herself at being held again.

"Okay okay, goodnight and I love you," giving a final lasting kiss to the pale neck in front of her, Yuzu closed her eyes and nuzzled her head into Mei's back.

"Goodnight... I love you too," Mei continued to smile even as she closed her eyes and held Yuzu's hand. Today felt like one of their best days in a long time, well at least for Mei. They had spoken calmly about Yuzu's worries and Mei felt she had reassured her girlfriend as well as having a peaceful night together, it left Mei feeling unbound happiness.

*.

When Yuzu opened her eyes the sun was shining brightly through the cracks in the blinds. It was a little past nine and Mei was still sound asleep on Yuzu's arm. Even though Mei claimed that she wouldn't let Yuzu sleep in late, it was a rather bad habit of hers to not get up if she knew she had nothing to do. And unlike Mei, Yuzu had absolutely no intention of waking her girlfriend up, or getting up herself. She was content just to lie here with Mei in her arms and watch her sleep peacefully.

A ' _Ding Dong'_ Sounded through the apartment making Mei stir in her sleep. Yuzu quickly slipped her arm out from beneath Mei and quietly left the bedroom, closing the door when she left.

 _Who could that be this early?_ Yuzu made sure the door was closed properly, before running down the hall in hopes that she would get there before whoever was outside would ring the doorbell again.

"Hello?" Yuzu opened the door silently and greeted the man politely.

"Good morning, I just need a signature for this parcel," He said as he gestured to the medium sized box on the floor before handing Yuzu a clipboard and pen.

"Oh yeah right... here you go, thanks have a good day," handing the board back, Yuzu as quietly as possible dragged the box into the house and closed the door hoping she hadn't woken Mei up.

She jogged down the hall and peeped into the bedroom to see Mei sleeping soundly under ruffled covers. Mei was usually a solid sleeper and unless she had a reason to get up such as a class or appointment, it usually took some sort of physical contact or a verbal call to wake her. So Yuzu didn't think she would have woken up but she wanted to be sure. Mei didn't really like sleeping in, but in Yuzu's opinion, she didn't sleep in nearly enough.

So she would let Mei sleep until she woke up herself which usually wasn't any later than eleven or twelve.

Returning back to the living room Yuzu spent the next couple of hours unpacking and setting up her newly bought gaming system. She was just finishing the final downloads of her games when a grumbling Mei came through and headed towards the kitchen to get her routine cup of morning coffee.

"Morning babe! You look beautiful today, did you sleep well?" Yuzu jumped from the couch and followed Mei to the kitchen.

"... Goodmorning, I slept fine why did you get up so early?" Mei asked as she made her way to their dining table to sit with her energy booster.

"I just woke up and I didn't want to disturb you so I came through here. Oh and look! -Yuzu ran through to the lounge and picked up her new controller- my console came!" Yuzu shrieked as she waved the electronic in front of Mei's face, hoping she would be as interested in it as she was.

"Get that away from my face Yuzu, I'm trying to drink my coffee." Yuzu's smile faded at Mei's words as she slumped down into the chair across from her grouchy girlfriend. She tossed the black controller onto the table in a huff, catching Mei's attention.

It was customary for Mei to be less energetic than Yuzu in the morning, as was it that Yuzu expected to be snapped at once a day minimum. Yuzu usually handed out a 'get out of jail free card' on the first snap. She knew it was next to impossible for Mei to control her tongue in the morning and if she somehow managed it usually happened when she got home from her classes.

"... sorry, can you show me later once I've woken up a little bit?" Mei gave her usual apologetic smile as she waited for Yuzu to give her a smile back.

A bright grin overtook Yuzu's face as her eyes lit up at Mei's recognition of her snappiness. "Sure, I know it takes you a while to wake up properly. Do you have any plans today?" Yuzu asked as she retook the controller to fiddle with while she waited for Mei to finish her coffee.

"I wanted to spend some time with you if you don't mind, I would also like to do some piano practice... again only if you don't mind," Mei glanced at the piano and back to Yuzu, unsure if she was completely comfortable with her playing it.

"I would be delighted for you to do both those things, but I would also like to try out my game today." Yuzu smiled again before glancing into the clock, it was already past eleven gaining twelve.

"What do you want to do first?" Yuzu got out of her seat to stand behind Mei and lightly massaged her shoulders. Yet Mei didn't answer, all she could manage was a small groan of pleasure at Yuzu's fingers on her shoulder as she relaxed back into the chair.

When Yuzu finally stopped Mei gave an unsatisfied grunt before leaning her head back onto the chair.

"Well to start with I think I want to wake up properly first. Then I I'll try and play for a little bit. My tutor gave me some books and worksheets to try, so I think I'll spend the next while practising that. Once I've finished my coffee obviously." Mei smirked to Yuzu who giggled.

"Obviously," Yuzu grinned as she leant down and placed a chaste kiss on Mei's lips.

"Gross, -Yuzu imitated a gagging motion- I don't know why you make it so strong, I mean two scoops of coffee and no sugar; disgusting. You should just drink tea it's nicer," Yuzu complained as she wiped the overly strong coffee off her lips. Mei just smiled, she needed her energy in the morning.

"By any chance would you like to play with me? I'm still curious as to how well you can play, I still find it unbelievable that you can play so well. I never would have guessed something like this." Mei gave Yuzu a hopeful look, almost as if she was begging Yuzu to play it with her.

"I would be happy to listen to you play Mei, but I can't say for sure I'll play. Are you okay with that?" Yuzu gave a half smile to Mei hoping she would agree to her compromise.

"Yuzu that would be great... I love you," Mei had another warm smile on her face as she gazed up into Yuzu's bright eyes, the eyes that made her feel safe, happy and loved.

A mischievous grin overtook Yuzu's lips, "well you can show me later just how much you love me," She gave Mei a cheeky wink before placing another quick kiss to her lips. "but for now, we are gonna teach you how to read basic sheet music," After getting over the initial shock of her girlfriend's statement, Mei gave a light laugh and drained the rest of her coffee ready to start her lesson.

* * *

 ** _Thanks for reading this chapter hope you liked, it if you did let me know :)_**

 ** _At the end of this chapter, I wanted it to come across as Yuzu didn't mind the piano as long as Mei was there. Yuzu now knows that she feels happy playing when she is with Mei and is comfortable with it, but doesn't know or is scared to know what will happen if she plays alone._**

 ** _Anyway, hope you enjoyed._**


	20. A New Game

Yuzu sat Mei down on the stool in front of the piano, while she got a chair from their bedroom. Several pieces of sheet music lined the top of the piano, they were by no means intricate pieces of music but they were difficult enough that Mei would have a hard time learning them. Most of the pieces were just nursery rhymes or very short, simplistic pieces for beginners.

Mei had claimed that she had taught herself how to read sheet music and didn't need any extra help, but Yuzu wanted to be sure. So, she started the makeshift lesson off extremely easy, getting Mei to read some sheet music that was usually used for young children.

The two were sat side-by-side in front of the piano, Yuzu had asked that Mei simply read the sheet music aloud before trying to play anything. Mei completed this task quite easily, however, when she actually started to play while reading the sheet music she became easily frustrated at her lack of hand-eye coordination.

"Slow down Mei, you have to play it slowly at first. Read the note then play that one note, don't try and do the entire piece at once." Yuzu gave a reassuring smile to her lover and motioned for her to try again.

Like she was told, Mei read the first couple of notes from the paper and looked down to her right hand and very slowly played the notes. A grin broke over Yuzu's face as Mei actually took in the information she was giving her, but when she looked at Mei if fell.

"What's wrong Mei? You played that correctly so why aren't you happy?" Mei turned to Yuzu, irritation on her face.

"I played four notes Yuzu, and it took me like ten seconds. It didn't even sound like it was supposed to, they are crotchets and I definitely gave them more than one beat each." Mei scowled, more to herself than anything else. This Yuzu didn't quite know how to answer, it was true that Mei had given each note more 'showtime' than needed but surely that shouldn't matter. She played it, that was the main point.

"Mei I think you are missing the point a little here, you can't just sit down in front of a piece you have never played before and play it straight away. When learning a new piece everybody plays it slower than it's supposed to be, that's how we learn. By the way, I hope you had a better attitude when you were with your tutor," Yuzu gave a cheeky grin but quickly stopped when she received a glare from Mei.

"Of course," was all she got before Mei turned back to the music to try again. She got halfway through the piece, playing a total of six notes before she started getting the keys mixed up. A mixture of a sigh and a grunt of frustration left Mei's mouth as she pulled her hand back.

"For God's sake why can't I get it right!" Mei huffed and got up to leave but was stopped when Yuzu grabbed her by the wrist.

"Mei stop being so childlike! You wanted to learn how to play and to do that you actually need to put in time and effort. You aren't going to learn these things in one sitting, you need to practice and practice. Storming away like this every time it doesn't go your way won't help anything. So sit down and try again," Yuzu's gaze was hard as she started up into Mei's narrowed eyes, but they soon softened along with Yuzu's as she retook her place in front of the piano.

"Sorry I know your right, I'm just not used to not being able to do things straight away. This is like that dance class all over again; you are great at something and just show me up without trying." Mei laughed a little at her statement, Yuzu didn't.

"I wasn't trying to show you up Mei, just that sort of thing came more naturally to me than you. And the same doesn't apply in this situation because I spent years taking boring ass lessons. That was hard work. Now if you actually want to learn, try this again." Yuzu reached for the piano with one of her hands and glanced quickly at the sheet music, taking in the notation all at once.

She looked over to Mei, "I'm only going to give you an example once so watch closely, it's your turn next." With that said Yuzu focused back on the keys and flawlessly played the three bars of music. Mei sat in awe as she watched Yuzu effortlessly play the piece she had struggled to, she still wanted to know the extent of her girlfriend's talent. Not just to hear it from Yuzu's mouth but hear her play something, something that wasn't an extreme beginners piece.

"Okay, so now you know what's it supposed to sound like, have a shot and remember to go slow," pulling her hand back from the keys Yuzu waited for Mei to start. Two minutes later Mei had completed the three bars as well -with a few mistakes- and had a smile on her face.

"Amazing! You're just as good as me," a smile of pride was spread over Yuzu's face as she slung an arm around Mei shoulders and rocked her side to side in excitement.

"I appreciate your modesty Yuzu but you know that isn't true. Thank you for your advice it was helpful."

"That's what I'm here for," Yuzu gave Mei another bright smile as she chose to ignore the former part of Mei's comment. Yuzu looked back to the sheet music then at Mei, it had taken her almost ten seconds to read and play each note.

"If you wanted to we could write the notes under the bar so its easier for you. It will make it easier to play if you aren't having to count bar lines for everything, then once you have got that down you can try reading notation again?" Yuzu asked as she took the music from the piano.

Mei quickly nodded her head, she wouldn't admit it to Yuzu but she was finding it rather hard to read the basic sheet music and play at the same time. Even when she wasn't paying Mei still had to use the rhymes her tutor had taught her to figure out what the notes where.

Yuzu stood up to leave the room and came back several seconds later with a pencil. "I'll write it in pencil so once you have gotten used to playing a little more we can come back to this and rub out the letters." While speaking Yuzu closed the lid of the piano making sure that Mei's hands were nowhere in the vicinity, and pulled the several sheets down in front of herself, using the lid as a table.

Mei once again watched in amazement as Yuzu nonchalantly concurred what she could not. It took her less than a minute to read and write all the letters on the sheets. Mei wondered if she had actually read the music or if she was just making it up, the speed Yuzu was reading seemed unfathomable to Mei.

"Okay! Now you should have a better time, how about we try this one again?" Yuzu placed the piece of paper Mei had previously been trying to play back on the edge of the piano and opened the lid again.

Just like Yuzu had said Mei had found it much easier to play now that she wasn't having to focus on reading the sheet music.

Time passed quickly with the two at the piano, Mei played while Yuzu gave the occasional bit of advice. But unfortunately for Mei Yuzu had stuck to her word and hadn't played a full piece since her first example. She had played several notes if Mei continued to get it wrong but nothing that exceeded five seconds.

They had been here for almost an hour and Yuzu could see that Mei was starting to lose focus. An hour was a relatively long lesson for a beginner and Yuzu was happy to stop, she had seen an improvement in Mei's playing, even if it was only slightly.

"Mei I can see you are getting tired, how about you take a break and you can practice again tomorrow?" Yuzu smiled to Mei as she started packing away the materials they had been using. Mei gave a small nod and waited until Yuzu had packed up all her music before speaking.

"Yuzu I don't mean to push it and I don't want you to get mad at me for asking... but are you going to play again? I know you said a little bit of playing doesn't help or compare to what you have been putting yourself through over the years, but you really seemed happy when we played together. It seems like a waste for you to stop and I would love to hear you play something that isn't a child's song... I think you need to stop holding onto whatever negative feeling you have towards the piano. It's evident from how happy you were today that you still like the instrument and just as you said to me earlier you won't get anywhere without work. You need to work through whatever is holding you back so you can enjoy the Piano like you used to... like you want to." Mei was giving Yuzu a caring smile as she spoke. Through her entire speech, Mei looked into Yuzu's watering eyes. The green orbs seemed to become less guarded the more Mei spoke, it wasn't long before Yuzu was wiping her eyes to stop her unwanted tears from spilling over.

Getting up from her chair Yuzu joined Mei on the now slightly too small stool and embraced her tightly. Yuzu didn't want to cry, but what Mei had said had made so many emotions rupture within her, making it almost impossible to hold back the waterworks. Almost. After several seconds Yuzu moved away from Mei and looked back into her warm amethyst eyes.

"I know that you still don't understand everything about why I won't play and I'm sorry that I don't either. I think I'm scared, scared to play unless you are with me. The fear that I'll still hurt if I play alone, or that I won't live up to what I was taught, it feels horrible. And I know you want to hear how well I can play, I think that's why you asked me to play with you today; you thought I would be taken over with inspiration and blast out an entire song or something. I don't not want to play but I don't know what will happen if I do. I'm sorry to make you wait but I really am grateful for your patience Mei, truly." Yuzu gave Mei a weak smile at the end and hoped Mei could hear the sincerity in her words.

Leaning in, Mei placed a gentle kiss to Yuzu's soft lips before resting her forehead against the blondes. "I understand that you are scared Yuzu but that's why I'm here. I'm not going to force you to play anything but you should think about it, is this really something you shouldn't do? If it makes you upset when you play I'll help as best I can to comfort you, but what if you play and you find that it fills you with joy like it used to. If you don't try you will never know," Mei gave another kiss to Yuzu's quivering lips, she hoped she wasn't being too pushy with Yuzu but she wanted Yuzu to be happy.

Yuzu placed her hand up behind Mei's neck and slowly turned the innocent peck into a passionate kiss, deepening it with every movement. She loved Mei to the end of the world and back, people outside of herself rarely saw it but Mei was a kind, gentle and loving person. But what Yuzu truly loved, was the concern she showed toward her. Yuzu knew Mei wasn't trying to pry, she just wanted Yuzu to work through this so she could be happy.

Breaking the kiss after several minutes, Yuzu returned her forehead to Mei's.

"Thank you," Yuzu whispered the words so Mei could only just hear them. Mei smiled again, thankful that Yuzu had understood what her goal was by bringing up the topic.

"How about we move this to the couch? My back is getting a little sore from sitting upright this whole time," Mei asked as she pulled away from Yuzu and stood from her seat, stretching as she did. Yuzu gave a hearty laugh and rose to join Mei, making her way over to the sofa.

Once the two were sitting on the couch a message came up on the television, signalling that Yuzu's game had been downloaded and was ready to play. Seeming to forget her tears moments ago, Yuzu jumped up and grabbed the controller from the dining table where she had left it this morning.

"Do you mind if I play a little? I had to wait for both games to download before I could play them so I haven't had a chance yet. You can watch or read or study or something in here so we are still together just like you wanted," Yuzu gave a hopeful smile as she stood in front of a sitting Mei who was still smiling, amazed at how fast her girlfriend had forgotten about her problem.

"Sure go ahead, I'll grab my book give me two seconds." Mei nodded to Yuzu who after giving Mei a grateful kiss, spun around to face the tv and rapidly pressed the startup button for her game. The two games she had bought were both anime adventure type games, you know you have your protagonist that you follow and play as throughout the game. Yuzu didn't have much experience in video games, so much like her choice of console, she picked her games based on their cover art and the five line description on the back of the box.

When Mei came back in Yuzu was sat crossed-legged on the floor, leaning against the couch; This was a weird habit of Yuzu's that Mei thought she would never understand. She perfered sitting on the carpet and leaning against the furniture rather than just sitting on the seats themselves. Over the years Mei had decided to stop trying to figure it out, she had tried sitting on the floor herself but it was hard and uncomfortable.

She walked over and sat to the side of Yuzu on the sofa, her leg slightly brushing against Yuzu's shoulder. Much like Yuzu, Mei brought her legs up and sat with her legs folded and started to read her book. Yuzu looked up to see Mei was already reading, _Guess I'll be the one moving then._ Yuzu shuffled the foot on the carpet so she was directly in front of Mei, her hair brushing the front of Mei's legs.

This was, as you would put it Yuzu's preferred position. It was easier to talk to each other according to Yuzu, she could just simply tilt her head back and she would be able to see Mei. She also claimed that leaning against Mei's legs was more comfortable than leaning against the couch, even if it was just her head. Mei didn't understand Yuzu's way of thinking here, but she didn't mind the contact and she had expected Yuzu to move between her legs.

Yuzu put the earphone in her ear, assuming Mei wouldn't want to listen to the audio of her game and started watching the intro cut scene. She played through the starters guide that explained the basic controls of the game; how to dodge, swing your sword, jump and so on and so forth. Yuzu had found the game very engrossing, there was an amicable amount of cut scenes and even the playing aspect she enjoyed more than she thought she would. She and her party -side characters- were currently making their way through a dungeon to find a key, Yuzu was focused intently on it.

It had been over an hour since she started playing or actually looked away from her game, the only reason she managed to draw her eyes away was that Mei was shouting her name. "Yuzu stop ignoring me!" Mei was currently standing to the side of Yuzu, her hands on her hips and her eyes were shooting daggers at the blonde. Yuzu slowly dragged her eyes from the screen to look up at an exasperated Mei, making sure to pause the game first.

"Mei why are you shouting and what are you talking about ignoring you? You haven't even spoken," Yuzu looked to Mei and met her scowling amethyst eyes. An audible gulp could be heard from Yuzu as she waited to hear what she had done wrong for Mei to be looking at her like this.

"I have been trying to get your attention for over two minutes, you were ignoring me for your game," Mei pointed to Yuzu's controller then to her earpiece, Yuzu followed Mei's finger with her eyes and when it finally clicked she pulled the earphone from her ear and placed the controller on the floor, but she kept still on the ground. An 'oh shit I'm in trouble' look on her face.

"Sorry Mei I didn't hear you, I guess I was too focused on my game. What did you need?" Yuzu gave an unsure smile hoping Mei would stop glowering at her. She did not.

"I wanted to know if you fancied something to eat, you have been up for hours and I assumed you skipped breakfast to set up your game. I mean it's long past lunch time but I heard your stomach grumble and thought you would want something for lunch. But in the end, you overlooked me for your game... If this is the start of some bad habit that is going to end in you not looking after yourself I will pack it up and throw it away right now." Mei was standing strong with her argument and to Yuzu it was completely understandable. Mei didn't want a console in the first place, Yuzu was just giving her more of a reason not to have one in the house.

"No I promise it's not Mei I just got distracted, I don't even feel that hungry, honest. -Another grumble emanated from Yuzu's tummy- Hehe... On second thought maybe a sandwich and tea?" Yuzu looked around the room trying to find something to focus on that wasn't the cold aura coming from her girlfriend.

Relief washed over Yuzu when Mei finally moved her gaze and started walking away, a sigh left her mouth which she quickly tried to cover up as Mei was still within earshot. Picking up her phone Yuzu saw that it was already after two in the afternoon, the time had flown by so fast she hadn't even realised.

She had received several texts since she last checked her phone, a few of them were from her pink haired friend asking what she thought of her new game. Replying to the messages on her phone, Yuzu was once again distracted when Mei came back with something for her to eat. Mei stood there for several seconds waiting to see if Yuzu would acknowledge her presence but like before, she was preoccupied with her electronics. Yuzu was typing rapidly with a huge smile on her face, the complete opposite of Mei.

Clearing the little space between them, Mei loudly placed the plate and mug down on the table in front of Yuzu. The sudden clatter made Yuzu jump and drop her phone, however, Mei didn't stick around to hear her girlfriends complaints. She had already picked up her book and was pacing towards their room.

Yuzu sat shocked at Mei's actions, she glanced back and forth between Mei's back and the items on the table. Looking at the plate Mei had practically slammed down, Yuzu saw her favourite sandwich: Spicy chicken and salad, but not cucumber she hated that on bread and Mei knowing this had left it off to the side to eat separately, just how Yuzu preferred it. Along with this was a cup of tea and it was in her favourite cup too.

Picking up one of the slices of cucumber to nibble on, Yuzu leaned back into the couch and let out another sigh. _Of course, I had to go and upset her when everything was fine, ugh I'm such an idiot._

Yuzu decided to eat the lunch Mei had prepared for her before going through to resolve things. She didn't think Mei would take kindly to the fact that after making her food Yuzu still didn't eat anything, even if it was to solve an argument.

Everything was just how she liked it, Yuzu couldn't fault anything at all. Mei had even gone to the length of lightly seasoning the chicken; something Yuzu could rarely be bothered to do. The guilt was slowly building up, and as she picked up her favourite mug to sip on the tea, it was the last straw. Mei had cooled the tea down to drinking temperature so Yuzu would be able to drink it with her lunch rather than having to wait for it to cool down.

A knot of uneasiness had wormed its way into Yuzu's stomach as she made her way down the hall. She had already finished her lunch, washed up her dishes and turned off her PlayStation. Yuzu knew that it didn't quite make up for ignoring Mei twice in one sitting but she hoped it would contribute to the recovery time of the argument.

"Mei, can I come in?" Yuzu knocked quietly on the door, it seemed a little weird to be knocking on her own bedroom door but she thought that Mei would prefer her privacy. If Yuzu went barging in it probably wouldn't help her situation.

"This is your room as well as mine, I can't exactly stop you from coming in," Mei replied almost instantly but Yuzu heard no signs of movement on the other side of the door. She sighed as she pushed the door open, Mei's bland straightforward tone told Yuzu that she was quite annoyed _. This is gonna be a crappy talk, she's not even looking at me for fuck sake_ , _there isn't even anything to be majorly upset about... Be calm... stay cool..._

"That's true, but if you don't want me in here then let me know and I'll give you space." Yuzu slowly edged towards Mei who was sitting at their desk looking over documents.

"Did you eat anything yet?" Mei asked, still focused on the documents in front of her.

"Yes thank you, it was really delicious. Mei I-" Before Yuzu could even begin her apology Mei had started speaking again.

"All I wanted to know was if you had had something to eat, you can leave now." Mei kept her eyes fixed on her paperwork, she really wasn't in the mood for this right now.

"Mei please don't be like that, I'm sorry for not listening to you but I am here to make up for it. I really don't want to argue about this, I just want to make things okay between us, please." Yuzu was still trying to edge closer to her girlfriend, who was refusing to look anywhere in her direction.

"You clearly have much better, more important or entertaining things to do, than talk to or even acknowledge me. So I won't keep you from them," Mei finished her bitter remark still facing the desk, her tone salty and accusing. She knew the words probably hurt Yuzu but at the moment they seemed slightly true.

Yuzu felt a mixture of feelings at the comment, sad that she had made Mei feel like she needed to be alone, but also anger; Yuzu knew Mei was just carrying on the argument for the sake of it. Yuzu also knew that Mei knew she was more important to her than anything else, so the statement only proved that Mei was picking a fight. Maybe it was justified for the blonde's actions but that didn't stop Yuzu being mad.

"Excuse me?! You know that isn't true Mei, you mean more to me than a game. I didn't respond because I didn't hear you, you can't blame me for that! -"Oh yes I can."- Ugh, you know I came through here to apologise but it seems that you don't want me to so just forget it!" Yuzu wasn't shouting but her voice was raised slightly and there was quite a bit of force behind her words. She was on her way to storm out of the room when for the first time Mei lifted her head from the desk.

 _Not calm and definitely not cool._

"Don't shout at me Yuzu, you are the one in the wrong here! I don't want you to speak to me just because you feel guilty, I would rather you go do what you want to: play on your electronics, as obviously, they are a more appealing way for you to spend your time," Mei had turned the chair to face Yuzu but she didn't get up, she felt that would really raise the stakes of the argument. Yet her try to defend herself did nothing but add to Yuzu's current feeling of anger towards her girlfriend.

"Yeah I _was_ the one in the wrong and I came to say sorry but you just deliberately hurt my feelings! You know what you said isn't anywhere close to being true but you said it anyways cuz you are looking for a fucking fight Mei! I think you achieved your goal!" Yuzu knew deep deep down that she was overreacting and that maybe, just maybe Mei was right but she was too far in now to back down. She couldn't give all that sass then suddenly stop, she wasn't even sure if she wanted to. Mei had purposely said that to hurt her. Whether she was upset or not Yuzu didn't think it was a reason to say hurtful things that she knew were lies.

Looking straight into the lavender eyes that were set ablaze at her words Yuzu grimaced, _this is getting way out of hand... but god why is she being so complicated?_ "When you're ready to stop being so stubborn and moody I'll be in the living room," Yuzu left the room making sure to slam the door behind her.

After storming her way down the hall, being sure to stomp her feet loud enough for Mei to hear them, Yuzu had flung herself into the couch, an unseen act of rebellion against her girlfriend. God how Mei aggravated her sometimes, why couldn't she just let Yuzu apologise like she wanted to? No, she had to start an argument because she was too damn stubborn to listen.

While fighting with her feelings of anger she had whipped out her phone to complain to the one person who always had her back, however it seemed that she too was against Yuzu this time.

Stating: "Matsuri does that to me all the time, I swear I nearly threw her console out the window last week. I'm sorry Yuzuchi but I just can't stand by and let you do that to someone, when it happens to me I am mad beyond reason. I'm siding with Mei, sorry but we are on different sides here. Try talking to Matsuri if you want someone to vent to, I'm sure she will have lots of things for you to say to Mei, she says them to me nearly daily." With Yuzu angered even more by the betrail of her best friend she hastily dialled the number suggested to her, this conversation went very differently.

"Oh god I should have known you would run into a problem like this straight off the bat with Mei,.The only advice I can give you is to say you are sorry and that you won't do it again, even if you know it is a lie. She will get over it, but don't let her throw away your console I still haven't had a chance to play online with you yet..." This conversation went on for almost twenty minutes allowing Yuzu to release her feeling and express her thoughts of the unfairness of the situation.

Yet when it came to the end of the call and she sat and thought about what they were actually arguing about, Yuzu realised that she was being an almighty dick to her girlfriend. _Fuck_ a loud groan escaped Yuzu's lips as she rubbed her eyes with her hands trying to think of a way out of the mess she had created.

The anger had vanished and she was left with the indisputable facts: She had ignored Mei for her phone/game, Mei had made her favourite lunch, Yuzu had ignored her, Mei didn't want to hear Yuzu's guilt-ridden apology because she was mad, Yuzu flipped out. That was it. Where was Yuzu's right to be mad? As far as she could see there was no answer, all that was left was for her to go back to Mei with her tail between her legs ready to try and apologise once again.

Yuzu was once again standing outside her bedroom door with the familiar feeling of lead in her stomach. Unnervingly Yuzu knocked on the door, her heart was beating rapidly as she waited for a response. None came.

"Mei? I'm sorry for the way I reacted before, for the way I accused you... For my language. Please open the door so we can talk, I've realised that I was in the wrong and I really don't want to continue this argument. It was wrong of me to get mad at you for not wanting to talk to me, you had every right to be mad... Mei, are you listening?" Yuzu's words were soft and caring but loud enough that Mei would undoubtedly hear her on the other side of the door.

The door opened and Mei's tear-stained face came into view, the sight sent shivers through Yuzu. "You don't have to apologise Yuzu, I thought it over and I am fine with it now. It doesn't matter anymore, forget it." Mei's words were stoic but Yuzu saw passed it, pushing the door open so she could see Mei properly she instantly wrapped her arms around Mei's neck; Bringing her face to the rightful spot on her girlfriend's neck along with Mei's on her own.

"No you are wrong Mei! What you said was untrue and hurtful but I understand that you were mad and didn't mean it, but that doesn't excuse what I did. I shouldn't have reacted so cruelly to you. I'm sorry if even for a second, you felt you were below anything on my list of priorities. I love you so, so much and I can't apologise enough for ignoring you earlier especially when you went to such lengths to make sure I was okay. I will apologise till I believe you actually feel better. So tell me what's going on in that head of yours, I am really sorry but I'm not a mind reader I need a little help sometimes."Yuzu's attempt to lighten the mood worked as Mei chuckled and pulled her arms up and around Yuzu's waist, feeling relieved to finally be inhaling her lovers scent again.

"...I'm sorry as well, this was a futile argument I don't know why I wouldn't let it go... Yuzu... Can I have a kiss?..." Yuzu pulled away to look at Mei: her cheeks were a glowing pink and her eyes flicked between the floor and Yuzu's lips, unsure if she was allowed to touch them at this moment. Yuzu gave Mei a sad smile, "Of course," she leaned in quickly capturing the plump lips with her own, Mei was stiff at first but she soon melted into the touch she had cried over. The embrace was long, sweet and passionate, Yuzu didn't give way to anything, she needed Mei to feel her right now,.To know that she was one hundred per cent hers.

The kiss soon came to an end, Yuzu reluctantly pulled back and looked into Mei's watering eyes, she immediately went into panic mode. "Mei what's wrong, I thought we made up, what did I do?!" Her voice was hurried and anxious. Mei was quick to ease her girlfriends growing worries, shaking her head and putting a small wavering smile on her face.

"Nothing, I don't know why I'm doing this -She wiped her eyes before her tears could fall, she looked into Yuzu's still concerned eyes- I... love you." Yuzu's expression softened at her words and she took the puffy cheek in her hand and placed another light kiss on her lips. "I love you too, more than anything," A small smile spread over her lips before she left featherlike pecks all over Mei's red face, hoping the action would cheer her lover up. It did. Mei's warm laugh filled the room, the sound gave her butterflies, god how she adored that laugh.

"Mei how about we get out of the apartment, maybe we're just feeling a little cooped up since school finished?" Yuzu pulled back from her final kiss and looked back into those loving eyes, the delicate look Mei was giving her made her heart melt on the spot. She couldn't see any way she could get mad at those precious eyes, and even if she did she would miss them in an instant.

Mei gave a nod but what she really wanted at this very moment was for Yuzu to hold her, for just a little longer. "Okay, but can we stay like this for a little bit?" Mei asked again, nerves evident on her flushed cheeks, Yuzu couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. "Whatever you want," She pulled Mei in close for a tight hug, easing both her own and Mei's worries.

 _ **Hey, thanks for reading this chapter hope you liked it. The whole argument about the PS4 I thought seemed quite fitting, I've had many similar situations related to video games and thought it was a likely situation.**_

 _ **I didn't want any conflict dragging out into another chapter, I know people want to see more fluff so I'll try and keep the angst to a minimum.**_

 _ **Let me know what you think, once again hope you enjoyed it. :)**_


	21. Finally Playing

Things had been smooth sailing between the two over the past few weeks. There were no arguments over the PS4; Yuzu had dedicated the time when Mei went to her piano lessons to playing it, well mostly, she occasionally used it in the evenings. This way Mei couldn't get mad at her for playing or ignoring her, and it gave Yuzu something to do for the four hours when Mei was gone.

At current Mei had lessons on Monday mornings and Thursday afternoons. She was improving slowly and was always keen to show Yuzu what she had learned. Along with this Mei was putting in extra hours of practice throughout the week.

It had been over two weeks since Yuzu opened up to Mei about her troubles, but so far Mei hadn't seen Yuzu take on the advice she had tried to give her.

 _Is she ever going to play it?_ Mei was sat on their couch reading a book as Yuzu sat on the floor beneath her; eyes fixed on her phone. It was the fourth week into their summer break and Mei had returned from her afternoon lesson a little over an hour ago.

Over the past weeks, Mei had been continuously trying to get Yuzu to play, even if it was just a five-second example. This to start with surprised Mei, for two reasons: Yuzu actually agreed to play but only because it helped Mei, and that Yuzu could look at a piece she hadn't seen before and play it perfectly each and every time. The pieces she played were obviously easy but it still amazed Mei. She was slowly starting to get a good feel of how well Yuzu could play, well as much as she could from the small rhythms and rhymes she was playing.

Yet even with Mei's hard work, she couldn't find Yuzu at the piano unless she specifically called her over for help. When she had told Yuzu to push through her negatively she thought her girlfriend would take on her words, but it appeared that Yuzu was still avoiding playing by herself at all costs. Something Mei still couldn't quite put together, was that the blonde never seemed sad or annoyed when asked to help with, or listen to Mei's playing.

 _If she can do it with me then why can't she do it alone?_ These thoughts had churned in her mind for days, but she hadn't been able to bring herself to say anything. Yuzu had been in an exceptionally good mood this past couple of days, Mei didn't want to ruin that by bringing up this topic.

Yuzu had made it clear that she wasn't sure if she wanted to continue playing and asked for some time to figure it out, but how long was 'some'? Mei's growing interest in the instrument was making her more and more eager to hear something proper, something beautiful like Yuzu had described to her. Mei's tutor wouldn't play anything she didn't need to and focused solely on Mei's playing, so she was hoping Yuzu would have played something; She didn't.

"Yuzu?" Mei asked as she placed her book down, her legs wrapping around the blonde's waist and her hands lightly rested on her shoulders. She slowly pulled herself forward, bringing her arms around Yuzu's shoulders, her head now resting on her own arm as she gazing at Yuzu's pink face.

With Mei now hugging her from behind, and her long legs wrapped around her waist, Yuzu couldn't help it when her cheeks started to burn at the sudden action, especially when she felt her girlfriends gaze land on her.

"Y-Yes Mei?" Yuzu mumbled, quickly turning off her phone to look at Mei.

"Am I too close?" Mei gave Yuzu a smug smile as she pulled back slightly so it was just her hands on the blonde's shoulders.

"I wanted to ask you what your favourite piece to play, or used to be is on the piano," As Mei continued her confidence slowly dwindled away, and as she asked her question her voice became noticeably quieter. Yuzu let out a laugh, causing Mei to look at her confused.

"Sorry Mei, I didn't mean to laugh but you changed so quickly there..." After Yuzu caught her breath and relaxed from her fit of giggles, she turned around so she could face Mei. "I'll answer that if you tell me why you want to know," Yuzu gave a confident smile as she eyed a slightly pink Mei.

"I was just curious is all, I just wanted to know what type of music you liked to play." Mei gave her anticlimactic answer and Yuzu slumped down a little.

"Is that it, you didn't have any other reason? That's borning." Mei only rolled her eyes, "Well?" She gestured for Yuzu to keep her side of the bargain.

"Well I had two favourite pieces but they are both by the same pianist,' Ludovico Einaudi' He is my favourite, I loved all his pieces but my two favourites were, 'Nuvole Bianche' and 'Divenire'. They are great pieces they are really relaxing too. I don't know if I would still be able to play them perfectly though, I haven't had to use my left hand for any of the pieces you needed help with so I probably suck now," Yuzu laughed heartedly.

Mei gave her a smile, she had never heard of this artist never mind his pieces, but that didn't stop her from taking mental notes of both his name and the two songs Yuzu had mentioned. She would definitely be looking that up later.

"Do you want to see if you can still play it? I am sure once you have some practice you will be able to play it again. Maybe you could show me how to do it?" Mei gave Yuzu a hopeful smile but Yuzu gave an apologetic laugh.

"I might try it, but I can't teach you it, I don't mean to be mean Mei but you wouldn't be able to play it." Yuzu tried not to sound cocky when she said that, and she only just managed to swerve that bullet.

"Hmph, well can you at least show me? Pretty please?" Mei was doing her best to imitate Yuzu when she wanted something, in hopes the blonde would cave like she always seemed to.

After several long moments of Yuzu looking into Mei's bright eyes, she rolled her own and sighed as she stood up.

"Gaw fine Mei, but I don't even know if I remember how to play it, I will probably just mess it up. Come on then, If I have to play then you are coming with me," Yuzu gave Mei a dramatic sigh with a coy smile but Mei couldn't help but see fault in it. _Why won't she go near the piano by herself, I can hear her perfectly from 4 metres away..._ Nonetheless, Mei got up from the couch and followed Yuzu to the piano, where she was tugged down onto the stool beside Yuzu.

After her fingers hovered over the keys for several seconds Yuzu pulled her hands back to her lap.

"I can't remember it," Yuzu looked at her hands that were tapping uncoordinatedly on her legs. _I'm so glad she can't lie looking at me or without tapping her fingers_.

"I know you can Yuzu, if you mess up don't worry. Like you said to me last week: everybody makes mistakes. C'mon..." Mei smiled and gestured to the piano.

"I hate that you know when I lie Mei, I don't know how you always know but it is very inconvenient for me." Yuzu huffed as she turned back to the keys; Mei grinned.

Mei watched as Yuzu seemed to be playing random notes at the minute. She would play two or three keys together then shake her head and move her hands again.

"Ahh sorry Mei, I'm just trying to remember how it starts, Oh, by the way, the one I'm trying to play is Nuvole Bianche, I honestly can't remember the other one." Yuzu gave Mei a smile before focusing back on her fingers. _You're telling the truth,_ Ah how this little 'glitch' of Yuzu's worked wonders for Mei.

After almost a minute of Yuzu doing this with both her left and right hand she turned to Mei, "I think I have got it down, well I know what I am supposed to play but if I can is a whole other problem," Yuzu grinned as she turned back to the piano, her arm brushing against Mei's. Yuzu was holding onto that tiny bit of warmth with all her being. If she could feel Mei then she wasn't alone, which then meant she could be happy when playing.

The blonde started simple enough just playing three to four keys and Mei couldn't see how she wouldn't be able to play this song. But after almost thirty seconds of this slow relaxing start Yuzu stretched her left hand out and played something Mei didn't even know the name of. All she knew was that the notes were far enough away to be in different octaves. While her left hand played this, her right slipped into a gentle melody.

Mei was positively enhanced by her lover's performance, she couldn't fault the playing at all, it was as Yuzu said: beautiful. But there was a change. Yuzu had her eyes focused intently on her left hand as it sprung into a new motion, playing the same three notes at a time yet it seemed to walk back and forth over them. At the same time, her right had kept a similar pace but changed slightly at the same time. Mei wasn't quite sure what she was doing to be able to play several notes with each hand at the same time, but it was doing a great job of catching Mei's breath in her throat.

A little over a minute into the song it calmed down and Mei watched as Yuzu's left hand done most of the work, completely stunning her as her fingers gracefully lept up the length of the piano. Finding the will to move her eyes away from Yuzu's hands to her face, Mei was very much caught off guard as tears were welling up in Yuzu's eyes; no doubt blurring her vision, but she kept playing.

Mei lifted her hand to Yuzu's shoulder and gave a firm squeeze. She hoped the message came across that everything was okay, that she could stop if she wanted to. Yuzu gave the briefest of a nod, an acknowledgement of her girlfriend's concern, but her fingers didn't budge.

After the clam came what Mei would call the storm. Yuzu's left hand continued it's back and forth along keys Mei didn't even know the names of, while Yuzu's right jumped into a jumbled mess of tapping. Only it wasn't jumbled, it was precise and wonderful. The entire house was filled with the graceful clashing of notes, Yuzu's hands were moving at a pace Mei couldn't begin to fathom and the tune she played made Mei's heart swell. She didn't know why, she had never been one to get emotional over music, but Yuzu, the woman she loved with her whole heart was playing this pure melody with tears on her face and Mei couldn't stop them forming on her own.

After what felt like centuries to Yuzu she stopped, her fingers still on the keys her eyes fixed shut. "There," Through a croaky voice Yuzu spoke, but her eyes were still shut, tears still lined her face and her hands were still on the keys. Mei was stuck in place, she wasn't expecting something like this, she had definitely been underestimating her girlfriend. What she had heard her play was eyeopening but the single word she said after riddled Mei with guilt.

 _'There' What does that mean? Does she think I forced her into doing this? Is she mad? Is she crying because I forced her to play? Is this my fault?_ Mei's mind ran in search for an explanation, but she was still hung up on the tune that had played through the apartment moments ago. She tried to think of something to say but what could she say, she didn't even know what Yuzu was thinking right now.

"Sorry I didn't play it all, m-my left arm was starting to get tired but it was basically just the same thing over again..." Yuzu lifted her hands from the keys and lightly massaged her left forearm in hopes of easing the tension within it. It really had been too long since she played, she could only manage three and a half minutes before her arm got sore... _Pathetic._

It was the first time she had played that song or any for that fact in years. Her heart tugged and squeezed in her chest, she didn't know what she was feeling. Her body and mind felt relaxed as the sound filled her ears, but her heart, it ached. She didn't know what the battle going on in her body was, but she couldn't bear it. The tears felt like tears of joy, ones she needed to let out years ago, but then why did her heart feel this way?

 _I played, I played... I don't_ think _I feel sad Mei is right here, she looks_ starstruck. -Yuzu felt herself going to smile but then a thought ran through her mind, wiping it from her face before it could even appear-... _I couldn't finish it, I couldn't play it. It was his favourite song, the one he played for me whenever I needed cheering up,_ our _song, and I could finish it... I failed..._

Wiping her eyes, Yuzu sat as her mind went to work, as did Mei's, as she tried to find a way to speak. Moving her hand from Yuzu's shoulder closest to her, Mei traced it over her back and onto her other shoulder, pulling Yuzu into a tight, one-sided embrace.

"Yuzu... That was magnificent, you were-" Mei had dried her tears as she wanted to express to the blonde just how amazing she was. But she was stopped as Yuzu silently lifted herself from her place on the stool. From Mei's grasp.

Mei swivelled around on the stool and watched as Yuzu robotically made her way down the hall and into their room. Emerging a minute later in black, ripped skinny jeans, a burgundy tight fitted shirt that could have used to have a couple more buttons done up, and a pair of trainers. Mei didn't have time to worry about her slightly revealing top.

 _Is she going out? Shit, I really fucked up, I pushed her too far and now she is crying, fuck. Wait Yuzu! Why did I have to ask?!_ As soon as she seen the blondes attire, Mei ripped herself from the chair and rushed to the other girl's side.

"Where are you going? I'm sorry if I upset you Yuzu, I didn't mean to force you into anything. Are you okay?" Mei asked as she reached the other girl with a worried expression. The blonde's face was still stained with tears and her eyes seemed a shade duller than they had ten minutes ago. Mei reached to wipe her girlfriend's tears but Yuzu swiftly moved out of the way.

"... You... Didn't do anything wrong. I'm going out, don't wait up." With that said Yuzu brushed past Mei and grabbed her coat. Clutching her keys Yuzu was about to leave when Mei pulled on her shoulder. She turned around not to see an angered Mei as she had expected but a worried, confused and panicked one. "Don't forget your phone... Where about are you going?" Firstly, Mei knew where the blonde was going: to drink, or at least that's what she thought. Asking her to stay was out of the question, Mei knew this was not something Yuzu was debating about, but she wouldn't let Yuzu leave without some form of contact. She knew asking to tag along would be a definite no, so making sure she could stay in touch was the next best thing.

Taking the phone, Yuzu shoved it in her pocket and gave Mei the briefest peck on the lips before opening the door and walking out. "Places,"

That kiss meant little to Mei, it was more of a burden than a comfort for her. Yuzu, the bright and bubbly, loving and cheerful Yuzu couldn't even look at her or kiss her for more than half a second. It only added to Mei's worries.

With that said the door closed separating the two girls. Mei was worried, concerned and felt as though she had made Yuzu feel this way. That all her nudges and talks about the piano had had no effect and Yuzu was feeling 'empty' again; Yuzu didn't even know what she was feeling, Happy? Sad? Disappointed? Maybe them all, but one thing she did feel was that she had let her teacher down. Let that connection rust away, now she couldn't even play the song that connected them together. She was in her eyes, a failure. And what was the cure for a failure?

 _Alcohol._

 _ **Thanks for reading I really hope you liked this chapter. The music references are amazing songs, I highly recommend them. The pieces I chose were really just my favourite, but now you all know a little bit more about what I like on the piano.**_

 _ **Anyways ramble over, once again hoped you liked it. If you did, I love hearing what you thought about it. :)**_


	22. Mama's Support

Yuzu had told Mei not to wait up, but that definitely wasn't going to happen. Mei knew where Yuzu had gone, and she would not get a wink of sleep until her girlfriend was either back in their apartment or sent her a message saying that she would be staying at a friends house. Though she would have preferred the former, at the moment Mei would have settled for any form of contact.

Yuzu had left a little after five meaning that clubs and bars would be opening up, literally giving the blonde infinite options as to where she could go. This, however, would make things exceedingly difficult for Mei if she needed to go and find Yuzu.

It was already past eight but Mei wasn't expecting Yuzu to come home till much later. There had been times in their relationship where Yuzu had gotten very mad or upset and had left the house to find her cure.

The first time this happened, Yuzu had arrived home after two in the morning, her phone full of missed calls from both Mei and her mother. It was then that Mei had sat Yuzu down and explained that if she was going to run away and drink their problems into the mud -Not that Mei condoned what she was doing- that she at least needed to let her family know that she was okay.

Many would have said that Mei not going with Yuzu was wrong and unsafe, or even letting her go out at all for that fact, but Mei had learned her lesson a year ago. When they lived with Yuzu's mother, Mei had tried not to create any unnecessary tension in the house, and let Ume discipline Yuzu when she returned from her adventures. But that had to change when they got their apartment together over a year ago.

It wasn't often that Yuzu would leave to go get blootered but she had her moments. Her first one alone with Mei was when they had been decorating their new apartment. In all honesty, Mei couldn't even remember how the fight had started, something about Yuzu buying the wrong paint or something, it was a very pointless debate. Yet it escalated to the point of Yuzu blowing up and leaving to go get drunk. Mei being both annoyed and worried, demanded that she was either going with Yuzu or they were both staying in the house. Oh gosh was that a mistake on Mei's part.

For Yuzu, this was the first time she had been challenged like this, consumed by her rage she, and Mei, said some very hurtful, untrue things to one another and the fight ended with Yuzu staying at Harumi's for several days. The next time -Also the last time- Yuzu had gotten like this Mei didn't try and go along with her or blackmail her into staying, she just made sure Yuzu had her phone and told Mei where she was going. Yuzu, throughout the night, had messaged Mei and let her know she was okay, and this seemed to work. Obviously, the drinking aspect wasn't good but Yuzu didn't get drunk to the point where she couldn't walk... usually. When she eventually came home at the end of the night, Mei would make sure she was okay and put her to bed. And for a reason Mei didn't know, Yuzu, even with her hangover, was always in a better mood than when she left. Yuzu would wake up, get food and apologise to Mei, and like that the problem was gone. Mei prayed it would be the same this time around.

Mei knew this wasn't a healthy method of working through their problems but she didn't know what else to do. She didn't like sitting home feeling helpless as Yuzu was out wandering the streets, but there wasn't much to be done. It wasn't as if these arguments were life changing or _needed_ to be talked about, as they were usually trivial matters. So, not talking about it didn't really matter, as long as the blonde girl walked through the door at the end of the night Mei didn't care. She would swallow her argument in a heartbeat, just to make sure Yuzu returned safely.

This had only happened on two occasions (the two mentioned) since they moved in together, not including Yuzu's fall, so she didn't see it as a huge problem. This time, however, Yuzu had pushed her luck, Mei had discussed it with Yuzu, and the blonde had promised to let Mei know where she was and if she was alright. But tonight not only had she not told Mei where she was going but hadn't texted her to say if she was okay. It had only been thee and a half hours since she left, but Mei liked regular updates or she started to worry. And it was safe to say she was very worried.

Not only did she not know Yuzu's whereabouts or her frame of mind, but she also felt heavily responsible for the girl's actions. If she had just let Yuzu be she would be snuggled up reading or something, not pacing the living room wondering if Yuzu would ever respond to her messages. She had called twenty minutes ago but after several rings, the line cut off, meaning that Yuzu was still coherent enough to know that she didn't want to talk to Mei. This allowed Mei to know that Yuzu was at least still alive but it made her worry even more; Yuzu wouldn't speak to her. Did that mean she was too mad at her to talk or that she just wasn't in a talkative mood? Mei couldn't figure it out, and stalking back and forth through their house was making her crazy.

She had thought about leaving and searching for Yuzu, but she knew that even if she found the blonde it would be a battle and a half to bring her home. That was if she could even convince her to do that.

No matter how hard she tried she couldn't see what would make Yuzu so upset.

 _How can playing something so beautiful make you so sad?_

She had sat with her when she played, held her so she wasn't alone so what was bothering her? Before the blonde had gotten up and left Mei could have sworn she had seen the start of a smile, but it vanished so quickly she could have been wrong. It was all so confusing for her, Yuzu was being so confusing. She couldn't keep up.

All Mei could really do was continue sending her girlfriend messages and hope she would reply.

* * *

The music was blaring from every corner of the room, no matter how hard she may have wanted to, Yuzu couldn't block it out. The bar was packed full, she was grateful for her early arrival or she wouldn't have been able to find an empty booth to wallow in.

Yuzu has started her adventure wandering the streets, unsure of where she wanted to go. But she soon found herself ordering two shots, sitting at a relatively empty bar. Just what she wanted: A quiet place away from home where she could drink and think. However, now not only was it beyond noisy, but she was also finding it hard to look at her drink.

How long she had been sitting in the dimly lit room starting at her third shot she didn't know, but she knew it had been a while.

The first two she downed easily, loving the burning sensation as it went down. Then her phone lit up with a call from Mei, Mei her beautiful, loving supportive girlfriend. The one she had left at home to go drinking. Only now she wasn't drinking, she couldn't muster up the courage. Her shot glass had been sitting there staring at her for hours, she wanted to pick it up and forget her problem but she couldn't. It wasn't fair, Mei was worried sick, that was evident from the mountain of texts on her phone. The ones she didn't respond to, not because she was mad at the girl, but because she was ashamed of how she had left. No explanation, no saying where she was going, literally left Mei to think the worst. How could she willingly do what she knew Mei was praying she wouldn't.

 _Bing._

Glancing at her phone, it was lit up with another text from Mei. 'Yuzu are you alright? Can you call me, please I'm worried sick. Just let me know you are okay. x' Yuzu sighed. Looking at the top of her screen it was already past ten, she really had sat and stared at this drink for hours. Meaning Mei had sat and stared at her phone for the same amount of time.

'I'm safe' Was all Yuzu could manage to write back. Within a minute she had a reply from Mei, but like the rest, they went unresponded to.

Not only was she a crappy girlfriend now, but she still hadn't managed to solve her problem. She couldn't drink to make herself numb to the heartbreak, because then she would be crossing Mei when she wasn't even upset with her. All she could do was sit and hope her mind found a way out of thinking she was a failure to her father.

"Hey, can I sit?" Yuzu was brought out of her thoughts when a tall handsome man sat down next to her. Shuffling his way into the booth, he stopped when he was just shy of brushing Yuzu's arm.

 _Oh god just fuck off_. Yuzu mustered up the biggest smile she could manage "Actually that seat is taken," Pulling herself away from the man now sitting next to her, Yuzu smiled hoping she didn't sound too annoyed that he was here.

The tall guy would be in his mid-twenties with lavish black hair and blue eyes, someone Yuzu would have definitely noticed several years ago. However, now he was just the same as the rest, now she had Mei and everyone else was irrelevant. She really couldn't be done with anyone trying anything with her tonight, this guy was already pushing her buttons and he had only just sat down.

"Are you sure? You've been sitting alone for quite some time now, I don't suppose you would like some company while you wait for your 'friend' to arrive?" He once again edged closer to Yuzu, unaware of her annoyance.

With no immediate reply, he placed his hand on her forearm. "How about I buy you a drink?" he smiled again.

"I'm sure, I have my own drink as you can see, so you can leave." Yuzu still trying to be polite gave a smile and gestures to her shot, pulling her arm free of his grasp.

"I can get you a new one seeing as you don't look like you want to drink that," He was keeping calm and collected as he tried to weave his way into Yuzu's night.

"Listen, I appreciate it but I really don't need you to get me a drink. So you can go back to your own table, really. As I said, I'm fine by myself." Her smile was quickly fading. She didn't have the time to deal with him right now, normally she wouldn't have been so blunt with someone but she really wanted to be alone.

"Hey now, no need to be rude were all friends here. How about I-" He was cut off as Yuzu stood from the table and threw her shot over him.

"I swear to god if you don't fuck off I'm gonna do more than just throw my drink over you!" Slamming the glass back onto the table, she hissed as it shattered in her hand.

Silence.

"Excuse me, miss, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Yuzu looked up from the now soaked man to see one of the bartenders standing beside her table, an awkward smile on his face.

With one last glare to her admirer, she grabbed her jacket and left without a word.

Now she wandered, she didn't feel like drinking anymore. Correction, she desperately wanted to drink but her guilty conscience was stopping her from doing so.

(An hour and a half later)

"I'm sorry I wasn't good enough, I tried but I couldn't do what you taught me. I'm sorry Dad," After she finished her apology she held her head in her hands and sobbed on the floor.

After being kicked out of the bar, Yuzu had found herself sitting in front of her dads grave. After cleaning it and placing flowers she had caught her dad up on the recent events of her life, and to finish her explanation she had let her father know her worries.

"I didn't mean to let you down, I-I just couldn't bring myself to play and I lost our connection. Dad I-I" Her words caught in her breath and Yuzu couldn't muster anything else, all she could do was cry.

"Oh sweetheart, don't say things like that. Your father would be nothing but proud of you, he loves you unconditionally whether you can play your song on the piano or not," Yuzu lifted her head at the warm voice. She turned to see her mother standing by the steps behind her, a sympathetic smile on her face.

"Mom!" Yuzu had never gotten to her feet faster than she had at this moment. Sprinting into her mother's arms, Yuzu couldn't hold back her cries.

At that moment Yuzu felt content, her mother's warmth made her feel safe. Untouchable. No matter how old she got, that didn't change, she knew her mother would never let anything bad happen to her. Now, when she cried for her father her mother was here to reassure her, wrap her in a hug and let her know what she needed to hear.

After calming down Yuzu finally pulled away. "Mama how did you know I was here, or about me playing again?" Yuzu although eternally grateful that she had shown up was still confused. She hadn't told anyone where she was going and the only person that knew she had played tonight was Mei. Her mother being here didn't make any sense.

"Well, you have Mei to thank for that. She called me after eleven and explained the situation. She said she couldn't get through to you and thought I might have some input. When she told me what happened tonight, what song you couldn't finish I had a feeling you would come here. So I drove here to make sure you were okay, and apparently, it was a good thing I did." Ume smiled as she wiped the tears from her daughter's face, knowing exactly why they were there.

"Mama, I couldn't-" Yuzu broke down again as she looked back to the grave.

"I know darling, I know. Here how about we sit down and have a talk?" Ume gestured to the bench opposite the graves, hoping she would be able to talk her daughter into understanding what she really needed to do.

When they were both seated comfortably and Yuzu had calmed down her mother started again.

"Your dad as you know was a very bright a happy man, much like yourself. He loved you more than the world itself. The song you played together, it was something that the two of you bonded over but he only ever saw it as a way of making you happy Yuzu. He didn't care if you could play it or not, only that it made you happy. Now, even after not playing for a decade you still remember it perfectly and played it perfectly according to Mei. So don't you think that's enough?" Taking a breather, Ume watched as she saw Yuzu's frown slowly morph into a relaxed expression.

"He would be over the moon that you remembered how to play it, and that you started playing again, but you crying is not something he would want. Especially not at his expense. So, do both yourself and your dad a favour and enjoy it. It will take time but if you really want to, you will play like you used to and not to make your dad proud but because you want to. There is nothing you could do to make him any happier than I'm sure he already is. Do you understand?" Ume continued to watch as a peaceful expression took over the other girls face.

"I do... Thank you, Mama." Yuzu turned into her mother and again wrapped her into an embrace.

"You don't need to say anything to me, I'm your mother it's my job to be there when you need me, no matter what it is. However, one person you should talk to is Mei, she really is panicking you know? She told me you haven't been answering your phone all night, we talk about that Yuzu." Steering from her sympathetic tone into a stricter one, Ume was preparing a lecture for her daughter but was cut off.

"I know Mama and I did reply... later. I should probably go and talk to her. I think she is really mad at me..." Yuzu trailed off, knowing she had to go home but scared of the wrath that awaited her arrival.

"I don't think she is. Come on, I'll give you a lift home, give you some time to think about what you are going to say to her" With that said Ume stood up and started walking back down the steps, not giving Yuzu an option in the matter.

The car ride home was comforting and relaxing, but it was quickly coming to an end as her apartment building was coming into view.

Pulling up outside, Ume waited for Yuzu to get out the car.

"Thank you again, Mama, for talking some sense into me. Drive home safe I love you... Ouch!" After saying goodbye Yuzu reached for the door handle but upon grasping it she hissed in pain.

Ume, of course, was quick to jump to Yuzu's side. "Yuzu?! What's wrong?" With a quick once over in the dark car, Ume couldn't see anything wrong with her daughter.

"I'm fine Mama I just cut my hand earlier. I'll clean it up when I get inside." Yuzu gave a smile, but her hand was throbbing.

She had pulled the larger pieces of glass from her hand when leaving the bar, but she still had to take out all the smaller shards and clean the open wound. After all, she had only briefly pressed her hand to her shirt to stop the immediate bleeding.

"Yuzu if you are hurt you should have told me sooner! I would have taken you to the hospital. I'll take you n-" Yuzu cut her mother off, waving her hand nonchalantly.

"Mama, I said I'm fine. I'll do it myself when I get in. We have a first aid kit and I'm sure Mei will be persistent in helping or taking me to the hospital herself. So just trust me okay?" Yuzu had ready opened the door with her good hand. With a quick kiss to her mother's cheek, she thanked her one last time before hopping out and making her up the stairs to her door.

It had taken Ume over an hour to get back to Yuzu's apartment. It really wasn't convenient that her daughters had decided to move in the opposite direction from her old town. Not only was it twenty minutes or so for Ume to get back to her house from the graveyard, but she still had to drive the hour to Yuzu's house and now back to her own.

This meant that the last time Mei had heard from Yuzu was more than three hours ago. It was already half one in the morning. (an hour and a half for Yuzu to get to the grave site, 12 am, then the time for Ume to drive her back)

Mei would most definitely still be up, but Yuzu could hear no signs of movement inside the apartment. No music, no tv no nothing. The silence was painful for Yuzu but she didn't have a choice. She had to go in.

Unlocking the door Yuzu quietly walked into the apartment, and to her surprise, every light was on: illuminating the house, and a Mei who was standing in the middle of the living room, her phone in her hand.

"Yuzu!" Upon seeing her girlfriend Mei practically ran into her, squeezing her tight.

"You're, you're not mad at me?" Yuzu was a little too shocked to hug Mei back, she was half expecting Mei to be fuming at her.

"No, of course I'm not mad. I'm just glad you are safe! You didn't message me, and I was panicking something had happened to you when you were out drinking. Wait... You're not drunk, you don't even smell of alcohol, well not on your breath anyways... Did you not go to a bar?" Mei pulled back from Yuzu to look at her; Her cheeks had their natural colour again, her eyes had regained their normal sparkle but a sorry look rested in them.

"I did go to start with, and I was ignoring your messages to avoid talking, but then you called me and I realised that I had left without any consideration of your feelings. I knew you wouldn't want me to drink, and in the end, I just couldn't... Hehe, I actually ended up getting kicked out of the bar, so I went to my dads grave to talk to him. That's when I met Mama, she talked to me and explained and cleared some stuff up, now I'm all better." Yuzu gave Mei a big toothy smile, her tone lighthearted.

"Thank you, Mei" Yuzu placed her good hand on Mei's cheek and gave her a wholehearted kiss. Mei returned it eagerly, finally feeling relief. She had the normal Yuzu back, and they weren't arguing. For the first time in hours Mei was content, having the blonde look into her eyes, the caring expression they held as she looked into Mei's was enough to turn her to jelly.

 _Drip...drip...drip_

"Yuzu, what is that noise?" Mei dragged her eyes from Yuzu's and scanned the kitchen, looking for anything that could be making such an irritating sound.

"Oh, eh that would be me." looking down, Yuzu saw her hand dripping small bits of blood onto the floor.

She cupped her injured hand in her other, trying to catch as much of the blood as possible.

"Yuzu what the hell happened?! Why didn't you tell me you were hurt!" Mei shouted as she pushed Yuzu towards the kitchen sink, letting the bloody hand sit in it.

"Mei calm down, honestly it's not that big of a deal. - _This hurts like shit!-_ Just get me the first aid kit from the bathroom and I'll fix it up." Yuzu gave Mei another smile but Mei's eyes were fixed on her girlfriend's bleeding hand. After several moments Mei finally registered what Yuzu had said, and ran to the bathroom, returning seconds later with a white box.

Mei sat watching Yuzu as she scrolled through her phone, the occasional laugh or chuckle leaving her lips at something she had read or watched.

After cleaning herself up, Yuzu showered and sat at the dining room table. Mei was quite surprised at the blonde's knowledge earlier, she had expertly cleaned and bandaged up her wound. Something Mei should have expected considering Yuzu did want to go into medicine.

It was now past two in the morning, Mei was waiting for either an explanation from Yuzu or for the subject to be dropped and the two go to bed. But here Yuzu was, just scrolling through her phone. After her first apology when she came in she had pretty much left it. Saying that she had spoken to her mother and that everything was fine now.

Mei trusted Yuzu, and if she said she was fine that was okay, but what were they doing now?

"Yuzu are we going to bed?" After ten minutes of silence on her part, Mei spoke up, unable to continue the silence.

"I eh, actually I was hoping we could get something to eat. You haven't had anything to eat and neither have I, I haven't eaten in like twelve hours I'm starving." Her attention was quickly taken from her phone and given to Mei, a shy smirk on her face. The transition from phone to Mei was so fast, Mei suspected Yuzu was waiting for her to say something.

"Yuzu, you are aware of the time right? I don't want to cook and I don't think anywhere is open right now, can't you just wait till morning?" A defeated look overtook Mei's face as she watched Yuzu unconsciously pout at her words.

"Fine, what do you want?" Mei got up and walked to her phone, knowing that her girlfriend wanted takeout.

"Chips and a burger please," Yuzu gave Mei a cheesy grin, but she only rolled her eyes. Just before she had dialled the number into her phone, Mei turned back to Yuzu, her eyebrow raised.

"Just a burger and fries?" This was strange. Yuzu however small her frame was, ate enough that she should have been built like a bus. The last time they had ordered 'a burger and fries' Yuzu actually ended up ordering half the menu, and she ate most of it too. Yuzu, however, nodded certainly at Mei, her smile wide.

"Yup, that's all I want, are you getting anything?" Yuzu asked as she continued to smile at Mei, who was still eyeing her sceptically. This was a strange occurrence for Mei, she was very much baffled. She was certain if she let the blonde, Yuzu would eat her into bankruptcy. That was a lot of money, but Mei was sure Yuzu would easily spend it on her stomach.

"No, I'm not hungry. Are you _sure_ that's all you want to eat?" Once again verifying that her ear had heard right, Mei asked again. Her uncertainty only resulted in Yuzu laughing, "Yes Mei, just a burger and some fries. Now hurry up and order it before I fall asleep." Yuzu gave another grin before turning back to her phone.

"...He said it should be here in twenty minutes," Mei said as she leaned over the back of Yuzu's chair, snaking her arms around the older girls neck. After nearly a minute of comfortable silence, Mei spoke again, her voice quiet and tamed.

"Yuzu... are you sure everything is fine? I feel kind of responsible for everything, are you sure you're not upset with me?" Mei's voice was quiet and frail. Just because Yuzu was feeling better didn't mean Mei was.

Yuzu was confused more than anything. "Mei why would you feel even remotely like that? Yes, you asked me to play but that made me happy, it was just the song I picked probably wasn't the best choice. I'm not mad at you, I'm glad you wanted me to play, so stop worrying okay?" Yuzu turned her head and gave Mei a comforting kiss on the cheek.

"Okay" Mei too turned to meet her girlfriend's gaze, planting a firm kiss on her soft lips.

"...Yuzu?" Mei asked as she turned her face back into the blonde's shoulder. She got an 'Mhmm' in response. Yuzu had a feeling she knew what the younger girl was going to ask, but she thought it better to wait and see if she was right.

"...Why didn't you reply to any of my messages? I must have sent you at least a couple dozen, I know you got them. So if you weren't mad at me, then why didn't you answer?" Mei was practically mumbling as she asked her question. Yuzu was very aware of how Mei was feeling, if she said the wrong thing now Mei would feel responsible and guilty. So, after taking a moment to figure out the best way to word her answer, Yuzu started talking her voice gentle and caring.

"Well before you called I just wanted to be alone, but after you called and I actually read the texts you had sent, I felt really bad about how I left you. I guess I just didn't want to face you, knowing how I had treated you... but I definitely wasn't mad. Promise," Trying to finish her statement on a high note, Yuzu smiled and placed her hand on Mei's arms that were still around her, and gave them a reassuring squeeze.

"I'm sorry I worried you so much tonight, but now everything is fine. Mama spoke to me about it and explained that I don't have any reason to be upset. Not upset with myself, not with the piano and most definitely not with you." After laying several kisses to the pale arm, Yuzu let her lips linger against the warm flesh, smiling as she felt Mei hold her just that little bit tighter at her actions.

Mei was taking her time removing herself from Yuzu, not that the blonde minded, but Mei usually didn't hug her for this long. Looking over, Yuzu tried to stifle a laugh as she looked upon her almost sleeping girlfriend; Hunched over a chair, using both her arms and Yuzu's shoulder as a pillow.

"Mei?" Tapping the sleeping girl on the face, Yuzu grinned as Mei slurred several words before weakly opening her eyes.

"Mei, I think you should go to bed. I'll be through once I've finished eating, and don't say 'no' because you just fell asleep on my shoulder. You are exhausted, its super late so you should go to sleep." Yuzu, once Mei had taken several steps backwards, slipped out from her chair and wrapped her arms around Mei for a final time.

That's all she wanted to do; hold Mei, as close as possible for as long as possible. It had been an excruciatingly long night; Yuzu just wanted a full belly and to be in her warm bed holding the girl she loved. But the first step in that was getting her sleepwalking girlfriend to bed first.

When she eventually got an almost inaudible mumble from Mei, Yuzu assisted her to bed before giving her a kiss goodnight and leaving the room.

While she had spoken to her mother and had been reassured, Yuzu still felt like she had things to think over; Come to terms with her emotions.

As soon as she was back in the living room, her eyes landed on the burgundy piano that stood against the wall. Now that she had been comforted she felt confident, she didn't see a reason to be scared anymore. If she couldn't play perfectly it didn't matter if she could, great, but what was made clear to her today was that as long as she enjoyed herself none of that matter.

Now sitting in front of the instrument, Yuzu layed her good hand over the keys. Taking a deep breath, Yuzu readied her hand but just as she was about to press down on the white blocks there was a knock at the door; Reminding Yuzu of the empty pit that was her stomach. Eagerly grabbing her purse, Yuzu jumped to the door and collected her much needed food.

Mei tossed and turned at the feeling of an empty bed. Still sleeping, she stretched her arms to the right side of the bed, looking for the one person she allowed to hold her, but her hands came up empty. Once again she unconsciously shuffled towards the blonde's side of the bed, looking for the arms she desperately wanted around at this moment. Yet again she felt nothing.

This disappointment resulted in Mei reluctantly opening her eyes, having to actually look for her girlfriend annoyed her. She was expecting the girl to be curled up in a ball somewhere out of reach on the bed, but upon closer inspection, she found that the bed was empty.

The room was dark, the only source of light, the street lights that peeked in through the blinds. There was a very faint glow beneath the door, perhaps the bathroom or kitchen.

She suspected that the girl had either gone to the bathroom or to get a drink. Glancing at the clock as she sat up, it was a little past four, way too early for the blonde to be getting up. Still wanting her lover's arms around her, Mei decided to wait for the blonde to come back.

One minute passed then two then three, and before Mei noticed she had been waiting just under ten minutes for Yuzu to return. Reluctantly stripping the covers away, she ventured out into the hall to find out what was taking her so long. The hall was illuminated by light coming from the lounge. Taking her first step into the dimly lit hall, she narrowed the blondes whereabouts to either the living room or kitchen.

As she sluggishly drew nearer the lounge, her eyes widened to see the back of the person she was looking for in front of the piano. Mei was still more than half way down the hall when she saw the blonde, unable to hear the notes being played but saw her right hand playing up the piano.

She silently drew closer in hopes of hearing what the blonde was playing, and when she finally reached the point where the lounge met the hall, the notes just bearly hit her ears. It wasn't as 'full' as the song she heard earlier, but it was just as beautiful. Standing still, Mei was stuck between astonishment and contentment.

It was one thing to hear the blonde say she was okay, but for her to willingly be playing by herself was something Mei saw as a huge milestone. It proved that Yuzu really had figured things out tonight, and if Mei never knew what Ume had said to her daughter she was fine with that. So long as Yuzu was back to normal Mei was happy, content. She didn't need to know the details if the girl wasn't comfortable discussing it with her.

The song was beautiful, relaxing, much like the one Yuzu had previously demonstrated.

Several minutes later, when her hand finally stopped moving, Mei crossed the distance between them.

Just as she was closing the lid of the piano, Yuzu jumped at the feeling of being touched.

"Gwaah! What the fuck?!" Stumbling down from the stool in a failing attempt to get away from whoever was behind her, Yuzu scrambled for several seconds across the floor until she heard the weak laugh of her lover. Turning her body, she saw Mei standing behind the stool with one of her arms outstretched, probably attempting to catch the blonde before she fell, the other covering her mouth.

"Mei, what the hell was that for? You scared the living daylights out of me!" Yuzu groaned as she pulled herself from the floor, rubbing her sore bum as she did.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I was going to hug you but I guess I just startled you. I thought you said you were coming to bed once you had eaten, couldn't this wait till morning, haven't you seen the time?" Mei, after her chuckling had subsided, reached her hand out to the blonde with a small smile.

"Next time say something first! But sorry for not coming to bed yet, I just got this feeling that I needed to play. I was just finishing, we can go back to bed now." Yuzu gave a bright grin as she skipped over to her still amused girlfriend, kissing her on the cheek before properly closing the piano.

"What you were playing sounded really nice..." Mei somewhat mumbled the compliment as they walked back to their room. She felt the blonde squeeze her hand at the words, "Awe, Thanks, Mei! It will sound a whole lot better once my left hand heals up. By the way how long were you standing behind me?" Yuzu asked as they both climbed into bed.

Once settled comfortably under the covers, with Mei snuggled in Yuzu's warm embrace, she gave a content sigh before speaking. "I was only there for a minute or two, I woke up because you weren't here. I thought you'd gotten up for a drink or something but you didn't come back like I was expecting you to. After about ten minutes of waiting, I went to see what was taking you so long, and that's when I found you playing." Circling her arms around the blonde's waist, Mei nuzzled her head into the soft chest. This was what she had been looking for.

Getting an 'oh okay' from Yuzu, Mei prepared to go back to sleep.

Tucking Mei in closer to her, Yuzu placed several kisses to Mei's head before snuggling down herself. It wasn't long before Yuzu's body finally gave in to fatigue, within minutes the two were both sound asleep, glad the events of the evening had passed and were finally holding one another in their arms.

* * *

 _ **Once again I hope you like it, I think I'm finished with this piano 'arc' now. It has been going on a while and I might come back to it but for now, I think I'm going to jump back into the University stuff. The girls will be starting their second year at Uni now, hopefully there isn't too much drama, (evil laugh).**_

 _ **Also with the release of this chapter, this story hits 100,000 words! I am super grateful for all your support and love hearing what you guys have had to say about my writing, it motivates me and inspires me to keep going. Thanks a bunch. ;)**_

 _ **Anyways if you liked it let me know, thanks for reading. :)**_


	23. A Fun Game

**This chapter takes place a week after the previous one, with only a day or two before summer break is over.**

 **Just a heads up that this chapter will lay the dialogue on thick. If you aren't a fan of that skip this chapter as descriptions will most likely be few and far in between, mainly just a long ass conversation between our two girls.**

* * *

The week had passed without a hitch, Yuzu for reasons Mei could only guess, had been extra considerate towards her: Making her a full breakfast every morning and extravagant dinner in the evening, a warm bubble bath at night, doing her chores and what Mei was enjoying the most was she had been pampering her with massages, kisses and cuddles before bed. Mei guessed this was Yuzu's way of apologising for the stress she had put her girlfriend through last Thursday, but Mei thought it was very unnecessary.

She very much appreciated the gesture and she couldn't deny that her back felt amazing thanks to the blonde's work, but Yuzu was spoiling her and she didn't like it. In Mei's eyes, it wasn't fair, Yuzu hadn't let her do anything since Friday morning. She would cook, clean, wash the dishes and laundry, the only thing she had let Mei assist with was the weekly shop, asking Mei to pick out her favourite things or tell Yuzu what she wanted her to make so she could get the right ingredients.

It was now Friday afternoon, Yuzu was in the shower and Mei was sat at the dining room table going over some material. Mei, however much she loved her special treatment planned on putting a stop to it today, she wanted to make dinner by herself and Yuzu for once, was going to do absolutely nothing. It was a little past four, giving Mei approximately two hours to make something. Standing from her chair, Mei briskly walked down the hall to the bathroom where she knocked once before cracking open the door.

"Yuzu, just to let you know that you can take your time and have a relaxing bath or something. I am studying in the living room and I don't want to be disturbed, so when your done would you mind spending an hour or so in the bedroom?" The little white lie slipped from Mei's mouth before she even had time to consider what she was going to say, but it didn't bother her all that much; she was going to be studying, just not all the time. Seconds after Mei had started talking, a dripping mess of blonde curls peeked around the glass door, a perplexed look on her face.

"I don't need a relaxing bath a shower is fine, can't you study in the bedroom? I am going to have to start making dinner soon, if I wait till you are done it will be hours until we sit down to eat." Yuzu said as she wiped water from her pink cheeks. Mei, however, didn't budge.

"No, I already have my stuff set up at the table and I am 'in the zone' right now, and I don't want to be in the bedroom. As for dinner, I don't mind waiting a little later than usual, I'm still full from the lunch you made. So just go to the bedroom, and go for a bath Yuzu it's been days since you actually relaxed." Mei walked past the blonde to the bath where she plugged it and started the water. On her way back she placed a chaste kiss to the bewildered blonde's lips.

"I'll call you through when I'm finished okay?" Mei smiled as she watched Yuzu rethink her argument. Before the girl could muster a reply, Mei had already backed out of the room and closed the door, heading back to the kitchen.

Mei already knew she was making the blonde's favourite: Spicy curry. Washing her hands and getting out Yuzu's personalised cookbook, Mei flicked to the right page and got out all the required ingredients. It was a fairly simple recipe, your standard curry but Yuzu had handwritten in several special ingredients to make it better. Red wine and grated apple alongside maple syrup, Mei, to begin with, couldn't see how any of these belonged in a curry but upon tasting it for the first time she literally fell in love with Yuzu again.

Dicing both vegetables and meat before sauteing them in a pan and adding water, wine, spices and curry roux. All that was left for the raven-haired girl to do was let it simmer and reduce down, and put some rice on. She would make some other vegetables closer to serving time, but for now, she planned to wash up and go back to her studying.

Fortey minutes later a chime emanated from the slow cooker, letting Mei know it was done. She was quick to put her pen down and check on their meal. It was now after half five, Mei had taken almost thirty minutes to prepare and start cooking the food, much longer than Yuzu would have but Mei was in the kitchen less than half the time Yuzu was.

Yuzu had done as Mei instructed, and went straight from the bathroom to their room. Mei wasn't exactly sure when as she hadn't been paying attention, but she was just happy that the blonde hadn't gone against her. She wanted this to be a surprise, if Yuzu had found out then she would have insisted on helping -doing it all herself-.

After preparing some vegetables and turning off the rice, Mei got out two dishes and cleared the dinner table; moving all her books to the living room. After several moments of internal debating, Mei decided she would try and make it a somewhat romantic setting. Only somewhat.

Fishing out some smelly candles and setting them alight around the table, with a red one sitting at the centre. Mei plated up their meal, carefully situating them on the table before pouring two fresh glasses of red wine. Yuzu, as a rule, was more of a beer person much like her mother, but she on occasion matured and enjoyed a glass of wine. But most of the wine in the house was consumed slowly by Mei.

Quickly washing the pots and utensils she had used so the blonde wouldn't be able to wash them after dinner, Mei placed them on the drying rack before heading down the hall to retrieve her girlfriend.

"Yuzu I'm finished, you can come through now," Mei said cheerily as she stepped into the bedroom, eyes falling on Yuzu who was sprawled out on their bed flicking through a magazine.

The blonde shut her magazine instantly and jumped from the bed. "You took ages, Mei, it's almost six. You realise now we aren't going to be having dinner till at least seven." Yuzu said as she walked past Mei, not sharing her girlfriend's light mood.

Mei, not being affected by the blonde's tone, smiled and followed behind her as they walked towards the dining area.

"Mmmm, what's that smell?" Yuzu immediately smelt food as she treaded into the hall, the scent only getting stronger as she neared the kitchen. She was confused to say the least. Mei, however, smiled in acknowledgement at herself; Officially completing her goal.

"I made dinner," Mei's smile grew slightly when she saw Yuzu's jaw drop at the sight of the dining table. A large sheepish grin spread over Yuzu's face as she turned back to Mei. "Mei... this looks stunning but why did you do all this? I thought I was making dinner," Yuzu questioned as she slowly took in the sight of her dinner, beautifully presented by candlelight. Mei, although most people would think otherwise, could be very romantic and thoughtful when she wanted to be. It didn't exactly come naturally to the younger girl, but Yuzu knew Mei loved lovey-dovey settings, whether it was herself or Mei that created it.

Standing still beside Yuzu Mei's cheeks reddened slightly as shy explained Why'd she had prepared dinner.

"I wanted to do this for you. You have been doing everything all week, it isn't fair. I know you are trying to make up for what happened last week but I think you have made up with interest." Leading the blonde to the table and sitting her down in her seat before Mei took her own. "So from now on, no more doing everything yourself." Mei smiled again to Yuzu who still seemed to be having trouble taking in Mei's words.

 _Was I really that obvious?_

"Okay... -A mischevious grin crept to her lips- Are you sure you want all your privileges taken away? -Mei nodded surely- Well I guess that means no more nightly massages," Yuzu teased and laughed when she saw regret overtake Mei's confident expression. It was safe to say that Mei's massages were significantly more intimate than your average body massages. This pleased both participants; Yuzu, the pleasure of hearing Mei moan for hours, while Mei felt ecstatic throughout it all and in the end, her body was like jelly; Relaxed and unstressed.

"Well-Well maybe not them all..." With her cheeks now a slightly darker shade of pink, Mei reached for her utensil and busied herself by starting to eat. Yuzu soon followed suit as she too took a spoon full of the dish Mei had prepared.

"Mei this tastes amazing!" Yuzu practically squealed in delight as she stuffed her face. Mei smiled in adoration as her beautiful girlfriend ungracefully ate the dinner she had prepared, "You're welcome,"

After several minutes of casual chatter, Yuzu piped up with a grin as a thought popped into her mind; A way for her to get the information she had been looking for discreetly.

"Mei, can we play a game while we eat?" Yuzu's smile made Mei eye her sceptically. "What sort of game?" The younger girl asked as she momentarily stopped eating to hear the blonde out.

"20 Questions. Where we take turns asking each other questions, it can be about absolutely anything and you have to answer honestly." Yuzu continued to grin as she waited for Mei to reply.

"Anything? What if yourself or I don't want to answer or don't feel comfortable answering said question?" Mei raised her eyebrow as she asked, this game intrigued her but she wouldn't put herself in a situation she couldn't get out of.

"Hmmm, well if you really don't want to answer you can just pass it. This game is supposed to be fun, a way to get to know each other better." Yuzu looked to Mei hopefully, who in turn smiled and gave a brief nod of her head. After taking a sip of her wine Mei spoke, "Can I go first? -"Sure"- Okay. Why did you want to play this game? I already know you and vice versa." With a raised brow Mei leaned back into her chair as she watched Yuzu's disappointed expression.

"Mei you're supposed to ask personal or general questions like, 'what's your favourite city or favourite holiday. Or first kiss/crush'. But because I have to answer, I wanted to get to know you even more, to find things out about you that I otherwise wouldn't know. Or to ask you things that wouldn't normally come up in casual conversation." Mei smiled in response, also noting the instructions of the game.

"Okay, my turn!" Clasping her hands together Yuzu thought for a moment before looking straight at Mei. "Okay Mei would you prefer to live on the beach or in the mountains?" The blonde eagerly awaited her response, but it came a little too swiftly as if Mei didn't even have to think about it.

"The beach. Living in the mountains would be too problematic to get food or get into town, and I like the sea." Mei said in a nonchalant tone as she continued to eat her dinner, not paying much attention to the question. Yuzu nodded at her response and awaited her question.

"Yuzu can I use my phone to look up questions?" Mei asked nervously. She didn't want to seem like she wasn't interested in the game and couldn't be bothered to think of her own questions, but she genuinely couldn't think of anything.

"If you want to," After several seconds of scrolling Mei looked back to the waiting blonde.

"Emm... How do you prefer to spend your weekends, staying home or going out?" Mei looked at Yuzu as she spoke, she didn't think the blonde preferred one to the other but maybe she did. Maybe this game could be useful.

"Well, it depends what mood I'm in. Sometimes I like staying in cuddling up on the couch with you, other times I just want to go out and dance. If I absolutely had to choose one, I would say going out, its fun and chill." Yuzu smiled, happy with her answer. "So you're saying that you would prefer to go out when we stay in most nights?" That wasn't what Mei was expecting her answer to be, but Yuzu quickly stopped Mei.

"No Mei, I love staying in and hanging out with you, I just said that but sometimes it's fun to go out and do things. This is supposed to be fun, don't take things too seriously okay?" Yuzu gave a weary grin to Mei who once again nodded but didn't say anything this time. Just sat and waited for her question.

"Okay Mei, what would you do if you won like a million yen?" Yuzu's eyes glistened at the thought, god what she would do with money like that. Mei, however, didn't respond with the same enthusiasm.

"Not much, if I wanted that sort of money I would just go to the bank and withdraw it. If I had to spend it... I would probably put a deposit down on a new car or something like that, I have been meaning to talk to you about that actually." Mei looked at Yuzu slightly confused as she took another drink of her wine. Yuzu's jaw was hanging agape at Mei's sentence. "Ehh!" Was all Yuzu managed to splutter out, totally overlooking the last part of her girlfriend's statement.

"God be careful Yuzu, you are going to spill something. You asked what I would do and I told you," Yuzu slowly closed her mouth. After several moments of letting the information sink in, Yuzu found the will to speak.

"How the hell do you have millions of yen just sitting in your bank?" Yuzu was aware that Mei's grandfather was loaded, but she didn't think that Mei would have a shit ton of cash just waiting for her to spend. She assumed the wealth and profits would be passed on when Mei inherited the academy, and up until that point, Mei was the same as her: Taking out a student loan. After all, the two acted as if money was shared, one would buy that the other this. It was an equal relationship, give and take. Mei never acted as though she had millions of yen to spend however she pleased, so like anyone Yuzu believed she was in the same boat as herself. They shared money but Yuzu had never thought to ask to see Mei's bank account, that was an invasion of privacy she didn't really feel like crossing.

"My father and Grandfather put money into my account every month till I turned eighteen. Grandfather said he put extra in for birthdays and Christmas', I haven't spent a lot of it so interest has just added to the total. And grandfather still occasionally puts money into it." Mei gave her an answer as if it was an everyday occurrence. Yuzu's jaw once again dropped. One thing that rattled her brain was that Mei didn't correct her when she pluralised 'million'.

"Millions plural! Why do you need that type of money, we have a baby apartment and live pretty simple lives." Mei sighed.

"It's not that big of a deal Yuzu, it's not like I'm a billionaire with overflowing amounts in my bank. I don't spend money very often so it just builds up over time... If you want a number, last time I checked it was something around seventy million yen, however, I have paid some stuff so it might be slightly lower. Can we move onto the next question now?" Yuzu who had been filling her mouth with rice when Mei spoke, choked upon hearing her words. Eyes widening as she looked at Mei, who wore a concerned expression.

"Why does this bother you so much Yuzu? If you want or need money I'll go out tomorrow and get some for you, just tell me how much." Mei said this so nonchalantly it almost annoyed the blonde. Money wasn't just something you could throw around willy nilly, in her life she and her mother, had worked for every penny. She didn't want or need Mei's money, she wasn't a charity.

"No, I don't want your money Mei, and it doesn't bother me that you have money. I just... sorry for acting like this, but this is a big shock. I didn't think you had money like that just sitting in your account. I mean it makes sense considering Gramps but wow... Sorry, go ahead, ask your question." Yuzu stated, but she was still amazed that Mei had millions and didn't even consider it worth mentioning at any point. Not that Yuzu cared for the younger's wealth, but how do you not mention something like that?

Seeing the blonde's continued bewilderment, Mei thought it best to try and steer the conversation in literally any other direction. "Yuzu, do you sing in the shower?" Mei already knew the answer to this and smiled when the blonde looked at her playfully.

"Of course!" Yuzu grinned triumphantly, who didn't sing in the shower? The previous subject forgone, Yuzu smirked at Mei, her cheeks reddening. Seeming to have left the subject of Mei's wealth in her subconscious.

"Okay Mei, where do you like being kissed the most, apart from your lips?" She watched in anticipation as both Mei's cheeks and ears reddened at the question. After nearly thirty seconds of silence, Mei spoke.

"Emm, I... It... My-my neck." Mei stuttered out her answer, "Wh-What about you? I am asking you the same question." Mei tried to push the embarrassment from herself onto the blonde, but it backfired spectacularly as the girl's response only made Mei's cheeks pinker.

"I think you know where I like you kissing me most." Her voice took on a temporarily seductive tone as she winked at the blushing raven-haired girl.

"Okay Mei, next question. Do you like gold or silver more?" Yuzu asked as she waited for Mei's cheeks to return to their normal colour.

"Emm I'm not sure. I don't really have a preference. But I think silver would go better with my skin, what do you think?" Looking to the gold ring that was on her finger, Mei imagined what it would look like silver; She had to admit she did think it would look nice.

"I think anything would look good on you Mei. C'mon it's your turn," Completely avoiding the question Yuzu smiled brightly to Mei, truthfully believing the girl would look beautiful in anything.

Moving on to her next question, Mei once again scrolled through her phone looking for something she would like to know. A small smile rested on her face, she glanced back to Yuzu who was watching her intently.

"Would you say you have a 'type' if so, do I fit into what you thought you were looking for?" Mei was actually quite interested to hear the answer to this one.

"Well, I thought I had a type until I met you. Tall, handsome, dark-haired, broad shoulders, I mean a guy with broad shoulders is just to die for." Yuzu took a moment to appreciate what she was commenting on, her cheeks going darker when she realised what exactly she was doing.

When Yuzu looked up she was met with the annoyed face of the younger girl, who was not ashamed enough to hide the jealousy on her face. Not wanting to give the wrong impression, Yuzu smiled and continued.

"You fit into some of those I mean you are shockingly beautiful, taller than me and you have dark hair but obviously, you aren't a guy and you have tiny shoulders. But I wouldn't have anyone else besides you!" Yuzu gave a wholehearted smile as she stared into Mei's sparkling eyes.

"Is that so? I guess I know what type of guys to look out for when we go out then. I appreciate your honesty." Mei nodded before going back to her meal.

Yuzu gave an awkward chuckle before speaking again.

"Okay my turn again, Mei what do you like doing more: Hugging or kissing?" Yuzu smiled like a child as she awaited her answer.

"I don't prefer one to the other, I can't honestly pick one. I like kissing you while hugging you. Both..." Taking a few seconds to mull over her answer, Mei responded confidentiality. How could she pick one of these? What could beat a good cuddle on the couch? Not much, but at the same time what was better than a heartwarming kiss after a long day? Very little, so her answer: Kissing while hugging. The perfect combination.

"Yuzu, as much as this game is entertaining can I stop playing? I don't want to ask you any more questions, but if you want to you can still ask me." Mei gave an apologetic smile as she looked to the slightly disappointed blonde.

"Awe really Mei? How about you ask me one more question and then I'll ask you one more then we can be done. I mean we are pretty much-finished dinner anyways, so one more question each then we can stop kay?" Looking to Mei with hope-filled eyes, Yuzu hoped Mei would meet her compromise.

"Okay, that's fair. Emm, your final question is: What is something you think is true about me, or something that I do that you think is true, but have never asked to confirm?" After reading her final question Mei placed her phone back on the table, relieved to be looking away from the electronic.

"Ohh that's kinda easy. One thing I'm sure you do is, whenever you park the car you always reverse it in, so if I'm the next one to use it I don't have to reverse out. And I'm pretty sure you do that every time even if you are tired, because you know I really hate reversing. Something else that I think is true about you, is that you secretly love doing nothing. Sitting around just relaxing, watching tv or reading or literally just sitting, I've noticed that you always seem keen to do stuff like that." Yuzu cheesed at Mei who wore a shocked expression, obviously, she wasn't expecting much of an answer from the blonde. She didn't know the elder girl was so observant.

After taking a little time to think over her girlfriends answer Mei's cheeks once again gained a pink tinge to them, something that seemed to be happening a lot tonight.

"I do like relaxing, and you are correct about the car as well. I know you hate trying to reverse out of the drive, so I always back it in just encase you are going to use it next. It's not a big deal, it's just something that always seems to make you a little happier." While speaking, Mei retook her wine in her hand and went to take a sip, hoping the glass would cover her stained cheeks.

"Awe Mei don't be embarrassed, I think it's really cute that you do it!" Smiling brightly Yuzu took a sip of her own drink before readying to ask her final question.

"Okay, Mei I have your final question. What is your favourite diamond or crystal?" Yuzu spoke casually as she took one of the final bites of her meal, making the question seem insignificant.

"Well I'm not much of a jewellery person, but I don't really like square diamonds you see in rings, I think they look really out of place if you know what I mean? I think round ones are nicer, and for my favourite crystal, I would say it's amethyst, I like that shade of purple but I also like emeralds... they are just like your eyes..." Mei dwindled off as she came to a finish, not wanting to sound too sappy.

"Ahh, that totally makes sense. Well I guess that's game over then, we didn't do twenty questions but it was still fun. And thanks a bunch for making dinner it was really sweet of you, and it tasted amazing!" Yuzu grinned at Mei before having the last sip of her wine and taking her plate to the kitchen. Leaving a loving kiss to Mei's still flushed cheek as she went.

After placing her plate in the sink, Yuzu returned to the table to collect Mei's. She had been robbed of her job to make dinner, she would most definitely be washing up. It was literally two plates and utensils, nothing Mei would be able to stop her from doing.

Seeing that the younger girl was already finished, Yuzu stretched her arm over Mei's shoulder to grab the plate. Before her hand could make contact with the white glass, she felt the firm grasp of slender fingers wrapped around her forearm.

"No Yuzu I'm washing up, you've been doing it all yourself now it's my turn. I'm washing, you can sit and have another glass of wine or something, but I'm washing the dishes." Her voice was strong as she stood from her chair, dish in hand. Yuzu refusing to let an argument arise, stepped to the side to let Mei into the kitchen.

"Why are you so set in stone on not being spoiled? I should be allowed to fuss over you all I want." Yuzu somewhat pouted as she watched the younger girl start washing up.

Not even turning to the blonde Mei replied, "Yes you can 'fuss' over me, but it's a two-way street. If you do it to me I should be doing it back to you, and I can't do that if you won't let me do anything... I just think it was really unfair, you shouldn't have to do everything in the house even if you did do something wrong. We worked everything out, and you being your usual happy self is all the repayment I need. I don't want you working yourself to the bone just so I don't have to lift a finger. So, just let me wash the damn dishes," At the end of her speal, Mei turned and gave Yuzu a playful smirk. Letting the blonde know that she wasn't upset, which Yuzu would have assumed at her rare use of a curse.

Hopping onto the kitchen countertop, Yuzu quietly swung her legs as she replayed the events of the game in her mind. Mei had definitely been more cooperative than Yuzu thought she would have been. She shuffled through her answers in her mind, she knew she had initially missed something the raven-haired girl had said, but couldn't quite put her finger on it.

It finally clicked.

"Hey Mei, why do you want a new car, what's wrong with the one we have? I mean I know it's kinda old but there is nothing wrong with it, so what's the point in buying a new one?" Yuzu sat and waited for her response, she could see no reason as to why they needed a new car.

At current they shared a 2013 Mercedes-Benz, Yuzu could admit she would have liked a flashier car but who didn't? The car ran perfectly, and Yuzu saw no need for an upgrade. Over the years, due to lack of money, Yuzu had gotten used to things staying the same. Yuzu nor her mother had the luxury of changing things whenever they felt like it, so to Yuzu that six-year-old car outside was fine and would be for years to come.

Mei was finishing the last dish when she turned around to Yuzu who was still innocently swinging her legs and watching her feet, totally oblivious to her confused expression.

"Well, the car we have is six years old, I thought it was about time we upgraded to something made in the last couple of years. Plus, I don't really like the grey colour of the one we have at the moment." Mei herself leaned against the cabinets, looking at the blonde who now wore a slightly shocked expression.

Raising her sight to Mei, Yuzu continued to question the younger.

"Mei a car made in the last couple years could cost up to four and a half million yen, I don't have that sort of cash just to spend on an upgrade. I mean it's not like there is anything wrong with the one we have."

Mei continued to observe the blonde who was now starting to tap her fingers on her legs, the rhythm slightly too fast for Mei's liking.

"I didn't ask you to pay for it, I have always had things that are up to date, and I don't really like our current car," Mei spoke cautiously as her eyes were glued to Yuzu's still dancing fingers.

"When did you start thinking you wanted a new one?" Yuzu raised her brow to Mei, curious to know how long Mei had been planning on getting rid of their car.

"Do you remember at the start of the summer when you drove me down to grandfathers, and you went to mothers?" Yuzu nodded and gestured for Mei to continue.

"Well, when I was there he asked why I had such an old car, he thought that maybe I had spent all my money and couldn't afford a proper one. I assured him that I was financially stable, but he insisted that I should have a more updated car. In the end, he insisted that he was going to buy me a newer one if I didn't myself, and knowing that he already pays the rent for this place, I didn't want to burden him anymore." Mei although started confident, Yuzu heard her voice weaken as she was probably once again feeling guilty for her grandfather expenses.

When the two first moved away from home, Mei had said that she would pay the rent on the property and that bills could be split equally. Yuzu being Yuzu completely denied that proposal, claiming that things were going to be equal between them, that everything would be shared between the two.

After a heated discussion, Mei finally gave in after Ume spoke to her, saying that in a relationship nobody wants to feel as though they are contributing less. However, that argument was apparently completely pointless as, as soon as Mei's Grandfather found out that the two girls planned on moving, he was adamant that he was going to pay for their living expenses; even if he was mainly doing it for Mei. He claimed that he would not let his grandchild waste her money on paying for an apartment.

Mei and Yuzu immediately declined, not wanting to put any financial strain on their grandfather, but he was stubborn like Mei and refused to give in. After weeks of debates, Mei finally got him to compromise, stating that she would allow him to pay the rent but no more. Yuzu and herself would pay for bills such as electricity, gas and food. And Yuzu, although still grumpy that she was having her expenses being paid for by someone else, reluctantly agreed to Mei's terms.

And like that the agreement was settled, this took a lot of financial pressure off the girls, (Mainly Yuzu as she was planning on living off her student loan,) it still had them riddled with guilt. So Mei not wanting to spend any more of her grandfather's money, said that she would be buying herself a new car and was just taking her time deciding.

After taking a few moments to think, Yuzu looked back over to Mei who was still looking at Yuzu's hands.

"I get that you don't want to spend his money, trust me I really don't like it either. But it sounds like you are being pressured into buying a new one Mei, why go out and spend that sort of money just because he asked you to. It's ridiculous." Yuzu said the first part bitterly as she still disliked the idea of him paying their bills for them.

"I'm not being pressured Yuzu, I already said I don't really like the car very much anyways. Grandfather was just telling me what he thought I should do, and I took on his advise and thought it would be nice to get an upgrade." Yuzu eyed Mei sceptically, still believing that her girlfriend was doing this for her Grandfather and not for herself.

"I didn't think you would mind if I'm honest, you love being fashionable and up to date. I assumed you would jump at the idea of getting rid of the old one. Think of me buying a new car as you buying a new pair of earrings or something. Just an upgrade from the pair you grew out of last month." Mei tried to appeal to Yuzu by putting things into fashion, but she didn't quite know if she was getting the right message across.

"A new pair of earrings cost two thousand yen Mei, your 'earrings' are nearly two and a quarter thousand times that! It's most definitely not the same thing." Yuzu's voice had raised a little, but she quickly brought it back down after realising what she had done. Mei was just impressed with Yuzu's quick mental math.

"Okay, maybe that wasn't the best example. Listen, can we just go for a look tomorrow, I booked an appointment for us? I don't have to buy anything straight away, but I am buying us a new car Yuzu. If you want to keep the other one instead of trading it in, that's fine I don't mind. But I am going to be buying it so you don't even need to worry about money, it shouldn't be a problem whatever car we choose as I will have enough to cover it." Mei kept her voice neutral as she spoke, she really didn't see what the big deal here was. Why wasn't she allowed to buy a new car? It's not like it was going to be extremely taxing on her wallet, as a few million yen wasn't much in the grand scheme of things; For Mei. She didn't spend her money on luxury items often, so she wasn't having to count her pennies to make the next bill. This should have been a fairly simple conversation, but she seemed to have had too high an expectation as she could literally see the distaste on the blondes face.

"Yeah cuz you can just do whatever the hell you want," Yuzu muttered to herself, or so she thought. Not quite understanding what Yuzu was implying, Mei couldn't help the shocked, confused look on her face. She obviously wasn't supposed to hear that, but she most certainly did.

Sliding down from the counter, Yuzu looked back to Mei, a forced smile on her lips.

"You can do whatever you want." With that, she turned the corner of the kitchen and made her way down the hall.

 _I don't do wherever I want, I literally just spoke to you about it. Why is she walking away? That's not going to help._

"Yuzu please come back, we need to talk about this. Yuzu?" Mei spoke calmly, not wanting to show her annoyance at the blonde's words. But when the older of the two kept walking, completely ignoring Mei she lost a chunk of her patients.

"Yuzu!" Mei raised her voice as she waited for the blonde to turn around, but once again she kept walking.

The walk down the hall was feeling especially long, with Mei watching her and saying her name it made it feel neverending. Finally, she was graced with the presence of their bedroom door, quickly turning the knob Yuzu rushed inside, desperate to be away from the piercing stare that was following her.

Yuzu was not even five steps in the room when Mei came in the door, surprisingly trying to keep her anger in check.

"Yuzu, please don't ignore me." Although the sentence itself was relatively kind, Mei was gritting her teeth together trying to keep unwanted words at bae.

When no reply came, Mei again tried to get Yuzu to talk. However, she couldn't help but notice that the blonde was doing just as she had asked her not to.

"Yuzu please look at me, we need to talk about this. Why are you so against getting a new car, what's the problem?"

After a few more moments Yuzu finally turned around so she was facing Mei, her eyes now red and her hands practically shaking they were tapping that fast.

"What's wrong Mei, is that you are treating this like it's going out for the weekly fucking shop! Unlike you, I don't have a happy little bank account to fall into if I _think_ I want something! I don't want your money and I damn well don't want to be your charity case!" Her chest now heaving, Yuzu went to walk around Mei and leave the room again.

Still not fully understanding the blonde, Mei knew that she couldn't let this go without a proper conversation. Already being at the door, she stood strong and refused to let the enraged blonde pass.

"Yuzu, take a deep breath and calm down. I don't understand what you mean, please just stop for a moment and sit down." Mei now having lost her irritated tone, was looking into Yuzu's fire-lit eyes caringly, begging her to take a moment to collect herself. Yuzu having been avoiding Mei's eyes for this very reason, slumped her shoulders and sat down on the bed. She couldn't look into those beautiful warm eyes and be mad, they were gentle and loving as they looked at her, making it impossible for the blonde to deny her.

Cautiously Mei sat down on the bed beside her girlfriend, unsure if she was actually going to stop her shouting and explain her thoughts. After several minutes, Mei finally managed to pluck up the courage to break the tense silence they were sitting in, "Yuzu can you explain what you were saying earlier, properly so I can understand what you mean?" Mei didn't move, she was stuck still. Even after years of living with this emotion-filled girl, she still found herself uncomfortable and unsure in these types of situations. She didn't know what to say to comfort the girl, it most definitely wasn't her forte.

"You just don't understand Mei, we come from totally different backgrounds. Even if I were to explain it to you, you wouldn't get it." Yuzu after taking a second had lost her earlier temper and was now sitting on the edge of the bed, her knees pulled up to her chest as she hugged her legs.

"You don't know that for sure Yuzu, I have a feeling that you are upset about the difference in our banks, but please just try and talk to me. This shouldn't be a fight, there is no need for an argument just a civil discussion. So, you can talk and I won't butt in, I'll listen and talk back... Please?" As much as Mei portrayed herself as a fearless confident woman, right now her nerves were driving her crazy.

"Fine... We've had that car for less than two years, and you just want to get rid of it so you can go buy a better one. If I'm honest Mei, before tonight I didn't even know you had that sort of cash to throw about however you wanted. You never make any extravagant purchases so I always thought that you were just taking out a loan like me. I know it's stupid cuz you have gramps, but I guess I just put you not spending money with you not having money." Yuzu stopped for a moment, thus letting Mei speak.

"You are upset that I have a very small amount of wealth?" Mei raised her brow, she thought caring about or disliking someone because of their wealth was beneath Yuzu. She didn't think that would play a factor in her girlfriend's thoughts.

"What?! No, of course not Mei... You have money, Okay I can accept that, it makes sense. What irritates me is how you are talking so casually about spending such large sums of it. Especially giving it to me, I don't want your money. I would die for a chance to just be able to go buy a new car whenever I felt like it, but I've grown up having to work for everything, so has Mama. If I wanted to go and buy a thirty grand car it would take years of saving, even if I was to take it out and pay monthly I would still have to save for months. You just decide you want to buy a car and think, -Yuzu putting on her impression of Mei- 'Oh I'll just pop down to the garage and buy one up front. Not like it's a lot of money.' It's not a big deal to you but it is for me, you speaking about it so casually is just like rubbing it in that you have fricken millions more than I do." Yuzu stopped to take a breather, giving Mei a chance to say something while she thought about what she was going to say next.

"Okay, first of all, I am not just going to "pop down to the garage". I was going for a look, I wanted you to come as well because it's going to be our car, not mine. Secondly, are you saying that you don't want me to spend money, even if I have it?" Mei sat with her hands clasped together as she watched a still curled up Yuzu, still not completely understanding her way of thinking.

Sighing Yuzu spoke, "Again, no Mei. It's your money spend it however you please, but I am not being reliant on you to buy things for us. You want to go buy a brand new car, by all means, go ahead, but you expect it to be our car not just your's. How is that fair? I don't want to stop you from living the luxurious life you have lead till now, but I don't want you to feel or myself for that matter as if I am just living off you. You will go and spend what, between twenty and thirty grand happily on a car, that's fine for you but what about me? I have to drive it knowing I contributed absolutely nothing towards it. It's bad enough that I am practically living off gramps, and now you are trying to get rid of one of the few things he actually allowed _us_ to buy. It pisses me off so much." Anger was starting to rise again, and not wanting to take it out on her girlfriend, Yuzu went to get up and leave.

"Wait Yuzu!" Standing as fast as the blonde had, Mei placed both hands on the girl's shoulders stopping her from leaving. When the girl still refused to meet Mei's eye, she took the quivering chin in her hand and turned it up so that Yuzu had no choice but to meet her gaze. Green emeralds were laced with pain and hurt when Mei peered into them, and she instantly felt guilt overtake her. How she had been so insensitive to the blonde she didn't know, or why she hadn't noticed that something like this would have caused a problem sooner was beyond her. After getting her feelings together, Mei cleared her now dry throat and released the chin in her grasp.

"Please don't leave Yuzu, I understand what you mean. I know you don't want to feel like you have contributed nothing, but even if you didn't it wouldn't make a difference. You could buy the whole car or pay nothing, It doesn't matter because what's mine is yours. If I buy something it is for both of us, whether it be the ice cream I bought on the weekend or a new sweater it really doesn't matter. I get that you don't want to feel like only I am buying it, but why does it matter who pays for it? We share everything, the money in my account, I don't see it as _my_ money I see it as _ours_. It's there to buy something for both of us, something that will make both of us happy, not just me." At Mei's words, Yuzu's eyes softened but didn't completely lose their guard.

"I know that Mei, but this is different-" Yuzu was cut off before she could continue.

"No Yuzu, it's not. You bought a pair of purple sweat pants last week right?" Yuzu nodded, not knowing what that had to do with buying a car. "Okay and _you_ bought them, but when you bought them did you think, "These are mine, I'm not going to let Mei wear them"? No, you didn't. You bought them and you haven't even worn them yet, I have. You got them knowing that we would both use them, and so far I have worn them like three times and you haven't had a chance to. Does that bother you, are you mad at me for wearing them?" Mei raised her eyebrow at Yuzu, who scrunched her brow together still confused as to what point Mei was trying to make.

"No Mei, of course I don't care if you wear my clothes. I bought the pants knowing that we would both probably wear them, and if you want to wear them because you like them then I don't mind. I didn't buy them just for myself." Mei smiled at her answer.

"Okay, listen to what I am saying now Yuzu and think about what you said. I am going to buy a car but I don't mind if you drive it. I am buying it knowing we are both going to use it, and if you like driving it more than me you can as much as you like. I'm not buying it just for myself." A small smile appeared over Yuzu's face, Mei had used her words.

Cupping Yuzu's soft cheek in her hand, Mei continued. "Yuzu I know you might not feel like this but I do, anything I have you can have. It could be my jacket, my shoes or my god damn underwear, It really could be anything; if it's mine it's yours. So, that goes for the car that _we_ are going to buy as well. If you feel differently let me know." Mei although having not moved closer to the blonde, felt like she was surrounded in the older's warmth. Mei lightly stroked the peachy cheek with her thumb, she saw the green orbs lose the last of their objection, it was all replaced with love.

"You know anything I have you can use Mei, I just feel like a car is a new level of sharing; Money wise I mean. Forty pounds for a pair of sweats doesn't really sit equally with a car." Yuzu was speaking softly as she looked at Mei's calm face. Nothing about that face seemed fazed by what was being said, it held a caring smile and understanding eyes, eyes that made Yuzu melt.

"It may be a new level but maybe that isn't a bad thing. I don't ever plan on leaving you Yuzu, if it makes you feel better, think of this car as me making a long term agreement to stay with you. What's mine now will be yours for the rest of our lives. That gives you years to buy hundreds of pairs of sweat pants for me to steal. So, I'll ask you again, Yuzu will you please come and look at cars with me tomorrow?" Mei gave a sweet smile as she looked into her lover's eyes. Besides a scratchy giggle, Yuzu couldn't muster a response, the lump in her throat made that impossible. Instead, she nodded her head slowly before finally pulling Mei in for a long, much-needed hug.

Mei's body felt just as warm as her eyes looked, Yuzu couldn't wait to feel this embrace for the rest of her life. The arms around her back clung possessively to her, held her tightly, unwilling to let her go. And at that moment Yuzu never wanted her to.

Minutes later Yuzu pulled away, glancing to Mei's eyes before looking to the ground. "D-Did you m-mean it?" With the lump still occupying her throat, her voice came out squeaky and broken.

Pulling both hands from around Yuzu's back, Mei placed them on either side of the girls face. Looking into the watering eyes, Mei had never sounded as confident as when she next spoke. "Yes I meant it. I love you more than anything, I couldn't imagine my life without you, I don't want to imagine my life without you... You are everything to me, I never want to leave you." Wiping now falling tears with her thumbs, Mei leant in connecting their lips in a passion filled kiss.

One hand remained on her cheek while the other moved lower, resting on the blonde's trembling shoulder. The kiss was slow and sweet, every touch or turn of the blonde's lips sent butterflies shooting through her stomach. Even if she wasn't the one crying at the moment she still needed this kiss, the hands that rested on her hips, pulling her closer. Mei needed that, needed to know that she had effectively consoled the blonde, allowed her to see into her own thoughts. The kiss not becoming heated or lustfull as both wanted to prolong the sweet contact of each other's lips.

After minutes of blissful silence that was only interrupted by muffled moans, the two broke apart, their lungs crying for air. Bumping her forehead against the taller girl's, Yuzu slowly opened her eyes and looked up into the soothing eyes that were already gazing back at her, not a hint of anger or annoyance in sight. A caring smile was spread across her plump lips, her chest rose and fell in time with her own, and Yuzu couldn't help but thank whoever had graced her with such an amazing woman.

"Sorry for ruining the dinner you made, I didn't mean to act out..." Yuzu spoke quietly as she leant back from her lover, putting almost a foot of space between them. Her hands dropped from Mei's waist and started an elevated dance as she held her own forearms, guilt swarming her thoughts.

"You don't have to apologise Yuzu. If you ever feel like this about something then I want you to tell me, I don't ever want you feeling insecure about money... I love you and no matter what that is never going to change, what's important is that everything is okay now."

Hearing these words confirmed Yuzu's earlier thoughts, not that she had any intention of not going through with her plan but now she felt a surge of energy within her. Preparations needed to be put in order, and Yuzu could feel her brain going into overdrive as she started to think about her idea.

A silly grin had unconsciously made its way onto Yuzu's face as she stared off into space, she felt warm and giddy inside. "Yuzu are you okay? Why are you smiling like that, what are you thinking about?" Mei shivered at the menacing smile on the blonde's face, that smile meant trouble usually something that meant breaking rules or causing a ruckus.

Snapping out of her daze, Yuzu brushed Mei off with a wave of her hand. "Nothing, I'm not doing anything. I... eh... how about we watch a movie, we can rent out a new one if you want to?" Effectively changing the topic Yuzu grinned as Mei eagerly eyed their bed, clearly liking the idea of being in it at the moment.

"Great, I'll go put all the candles out in the kitchen and grab a drink. Do you want me to get you anything?" Yuzu was already at the door and was about to leave when Mei spoke.

"No thank you, what do you want to rent?" Mei motioned to the television with her hand, but as she suspected she didn't get a proper answer. Shrugging her shoulders Yuzu smiled, "Anything you want... oooo but maybe pick something with a bit of romance? I'm in romancey kind of mood." Yuzu cheesed before skipping down the hall, leaving Mei to roll her eyes as she grabbed the remote and slipped into her nightwear.

Sitting in bed, Mei could hear Yuzu blowing out the candles each with an exaggerated puff of air and couldn't help but giggle at how childish her girlfriend could be. But her smile faltered somewhat when she heard the girl talking, but who to Mei didn't know.

"Good evening...late... an appointment for... great!... NO don't call!... Yuzupops02 ... thanks bye" Mei could only make out parts of the conversation, but she heard enough to get the gist of what was going on. Who was Yuzu meeting that she didn't want to call her, and who would the blonde so casually give out her email to?

 _If she doesn't want them calling her is that because she doesn't want me to see whoever is calling, why does she need to hide them from me? And she never just gives out her email to people at least not her personal one, why didn't she just give the one she used for school? Besides that, who the hell is she calling this late at night?_

After the call ended, Mei could hear the blonde humming happily to herself as she found whatever beverage she was looking for. As if she hadn't just had a very conspicuous phone call. After almost a minute more of waiting, Yuzu came back down the hall, a can of juice in her hand. She glanced to the tv before looking back at Mei who was eyeing her sceptically. Placing her drink on the nightstand, she shuffled under the cover beside Mei a confused look on her face.

"Why haven't you picked a movie yet? You've not even gotten onto the right setting." Yuzu raised her eyebrow to Mei who was still yet to take her eyes off the blonde. "...Mei?" Wriggling uncomfortably under Mei's unwavering gaze, Yuzu eventually sighed when she didn't get an answer and took the remote herself to change the channel.

"Fine, I'll choose one." Feeling the tension rise in the room, Yuzu picked one of the first movies that appeared on the screen, no longer deeply concerned about what they watched.

"Who are you keeping a secret from me?" After several more unbearable moments of silence Mei spoke, her tone now cold and accusing.

Seeing the blonde's confused expression, Mei tried again. "Let me rephrase then. Who were you on the phone to?" The question clearly catching Yuzu off guard as she stumbled for a while before speaking.

 _Shit, I thought she couldn't hear me. Just my luck._

"It was no one important, just someone from school." Yuzu gave a clear 'I'm lying' smile, she never was good at lying on the spot.

"If that's the case, why did you say they weren't allowed to call you? And you gave your personal email address instead of your school one, if it was someone from school surely you would have given them the same email as the rest of our friends." Mei's questioning was making Yuzu hot and flustered, and not in a good way.

"Well, em that's because we are eh... meeting for lunch after one of my classes, I didn't want them to call me in case class ran late or something. So I gave her my email cuz that's the one that's on my phone most of the time." Yuzu fumbled over her words. She was very much aware she could switch between her google accounts with the click of a button, but she hoped to god Mei didn't.

"Really, you expect me to believe that?" Mei gave an offended scoff as she watched Yuzu follow a seeming interesting crack of paint on the ceiling.

"I'm being honest Mei. Next week is the start of the new school year, so I was just making plans with Catty to go over what we learn. You know to try and get back into it after being away for so long." Mei lost some of her scepticism but not it all. _And who the hell is 'Catty'_

"Catty?" Mei kept her tone neutral, not showing the nip the unfamiliar name made in her chest. Yuzu fluffed up her pillow and sat back, pulling the covers up to her shoulders. She spread one arm over the length of Mei's pillow and raised the quilt, silently asking Mei to move into her grasp. Which she eventually did.

"Yeah she is a girl from my class, I sit next to her in a lot of my lectures. I have told you about her before: super cute blue glasses, huge black afro, likes to dress in weirdly bright sweaters. C'mon how do you not remember her?" When she was finished, Yuzu moved to get her arms positioning right before nuzzling into Mei's silky soft hair.

"I apologise I must have forgotten... You, you aren't lying to me?" Mei, after talking to Yuzu thought maybe she had jumped to conclusions, after all, what reason did the blonde have to lie to her? So, trying to push the untrustful feelings away, Mei gave up and wrapped herself around the blonde. Entangling their arms and legs beneath the covers.

Not having the will power to confirm her lie so bluntly to Mei's face. Yuzu didn't answer, instead just gave a long kiss to the top of the girl's forehead, before pressing play on the movie.

 _God that was too fucking close, why do I have to talk so damn loud... I'm sorry Mei._

Before the pair realised it, they were tangled up beneath the sheets. The movie had ended and the credits where slowly playing. Mei, although it only being nine at night had already fallen asleep and was nestled in tightly to the blonde's neck; Yuzu, however, was wide awake. She still had one arm wrapped around her sleeping partner, the other was scrolling through her phone. A giant grin was on her face as she continued to scroll, every couple of minutes she would look down just to double check that Mei was still fast asleep.

She had been doing research on this particular topic for several weeks now, and after tonight Yuzu's mind was alert as ever. Scrolling through website after website trying to find the perfect one, but alas she couldn't find one that really got what she was going for.

Several had aspects that she really liked but other parts that she didn't really like it.

Time seemed to escape her as it was now past twelve and she was still going through her phone. Her mind seemingly no longer needing sleep as she dove further and further into this rabbit hole.

Feeling like it would be pointless to even try and go to sleep when she felt like this, she carefully slipped her arm out from beneath Mei. Glancing down to the sleeping beauty, Yuzu's heart fluttered at the innocent face. After studying her for several minutes, Yuzu couldn't help the smile on her face as she gave a peck to the pale forehead.

As quietly as she could manage, Yuzu plucked her sketchbook from her desk along with her pencil case and slipped from the room. Going to the lounge, Yuzu was filled with giggles and excitement, god she didn't think this would make her this happy.

The next few hours were used making lists of potentials and sketching out rough ideas. By three o'clock her wrist was sore and her eyes were drooping. After looking at the pages in her book a final time, Yuzu felt her core grow warm. She had come up with several ideas but she would no doubt change and rechange her mind over the next week.

Packing up her stuff Yuzu walked back to their room, but where she was going to put the book she didn't know. Somewhere Mei wouldn't go, somewhere it didn't look out of place?

Thinking it too risky to just place it in her drawer or on the bookshelf, Yuzu settled for shoving it at the very bottom of her school bag and stuffing all her school books on top. Thinking she was pushing her luck on the amount of noise she was making as Mei was moving a little more in her sleep, Yuzu left her bag at the side of the desk and walked over to their bed.

Gently crawling back under the covers, Yuzu couldn't help smiling as she retook the sleeping girl in her arms. That smile stayed on her lips after she placed several kisses to the slightly pink cheeks. Yuzu could tell she was going to have an amazing sleep tonight.

* * *

 **Well, I hoped you liked this chapter, I found it particularly hard to write without sounding overly repetitive with the dialogue. I know I have been kind of repetitive with my word choice, bu** **t hopefully, it wasn't too annoying or gruelling to read.**

 **Also, I apologise that I changed the currency into GBP like halfway through this chapter, It was confusing my brain too much transferring everything into Yen.**

 **As always, hope you enjoyed and if you liked it let me know, :)**


	24. A New Car

Yuzu although having gone to bed almost six hours after her raven-haired counterpart, was now wide awake, happily looking upon the spoken of's sleeping face. It was almost nine and Yuzu was once again filled with her excitement from the previous night, but a stronger, more urgent feeling was a side effect of her earlier thoughts. She was and had been for almost an hour, patiently waiting for Mei to wake up so she could act upon her impulses, but not wanting to disturb her girlfriends sleep, Yuzu was trying to wait until she woke up herself. Obviously, Yuzu didn't mind watching the peaceful resting face of her lover, it was the face she prayed she would wake up to every day for the rest of her life, but right now she wanted those daring eyes open or scrunched up while screaming her name. She didn't mind which one.

For maybe the tenth time Yuzu raised her hand had traced the back of it over Mei's warm cheek, it was so soft against her hand. Yuzu who had propped herself up on one elbow, gently grazed her hand over Mei's face as she observed the rest of it. Her brow having not the slightest bit of tension in it, her flawless skin was relaxed giving her entire face an innocent appearance. Her lips were parted ever so slightly, unknowingly teasing Yuzu with the exposed plump bottom lip. Her hot breath that quavered over them in regular intervals, brushed Yuzu's lips she was so close. Struggling to drag her eyes away from the lips before she kissed them, Yuzu drew her attention to the petit nose, the tip was a baby shade of pink, much like the girl's cheeks were.

Unable to resist, Yuzu placed a featherlike kiss to the end of Mei's nose, the action alone gave the blonde butterflies. But unbeknownst to Yuzu, it had a similar effect on the sleeping girl. Similar in the sense of actual butterflies. The light tickly sensation caused the previously sleeping girl to scrunch up her nose, and after less than a second a small, cute high pitched sneeze filled the room. Yuzu's hands flew to her mouth in an attempt to stifle her laughter, Mei's eyes slowly fluttered open slightly confused at her odd awakening. After rubbing her nose Mei looked up to the blonde, silently accusing her of the act.

Her cheeks now red and her laughter gone, Yuzu grinned at Mei after placing a quick kiss on her lips. "Good morning Mei! How did you sleep?" The bright welcoming that Mei would normally try and ignore until her coffee, seemed brighter today for some reason. Wiping her eyes and adjusting to the light in the room before she spoke, "I slept well, I feel very refreshed. Why are you so cheerful?" Mei looked to Yuzu who was still perched on her arm, eyes locked on Mei's.

"Well I slept very well last night, you were so warm and I woke up looking at that beautiful face, isn't that reason enough?" Yuzu smiled brightly as she traced the tip of her finger over Mei's jaw, who couldn't help the corner of her lips turning up at the statement.

"Also I was hoping before we got out of bed we could have some... _fun_?" Yuzu grinned awkwardly at Mei who didn't try and hide her giggle as she raised her eyebrow to the blonde. "So you've actually just been waiting for me to wake up for morning sex?" A smile of pure amusement was on Mei's lips as she faced Yuzu, she still lay on her side her head slightly propped up with her arm. Feeling bold, Yuzu decided she would go along with Mei and her teasing. Moving from her elbow onto her back, Yuzu rested both hands behind her head as she let out a sigh.

"Well, Mei, I've been craving you for hours I have been very patient, I think I deserve something as a reward. Plus, going by the noises you were making when you were asleep, I'm gonna go ahead and say you really liked the dream you were having. But that only made me want you more." A knowing smile rested on Yuzu's lips as she stared at the ceiling, knowing a look of embarrassment was on Mei's face. Her silent applauding towards herself was quickly put to an end as she felt a pillow slam into her face. Mei who was now sitting upright, turned her flushed cheeks away from a giggling blonde.

"I-I did no such thing!" Yuzu, after nudging the pillow off her face laughed again. One hand still behind her head, the other reached out and traced a finger down Mei's spine causing the youngers back to arch.

"Yeah you are right, you didn't but would you like me to make you make those noises?" Yuzu couldn't help the grin on her face as Mei flicked her head around, from both Yuzu's action and her words. With her grin Yuzu had her eyebrow raised, wordlessly asking Mei if she wanted to 'have some fun'. After less than a moments consideration, Mei slipped her leg over Yuzu, now straddling her as Mei's nightgown rose to her hips. Intertwining her fingers with Yuzu's free hand, Mei smiled and gave a brief nod before leaning down into a cheesing blonde.

When Mei's lips made contact with her own, Yuzu felt the butterflies once again arise in her stomach. Her lips were soft just like the last time she had felt them, but that feeling would never get old.

Knowing they had plans for the day Yuzu didn't want to hold them up too much with her morning activities, but then again she could try and push the boundaries of her limited time. They could go and view cars later.

Lifting the hand from behind her head Yuzu started slowly putting in on Mei's face, assisting her in deepening the kiss. After a moment she retracted her hand and it skillfully slipped down the length of Mei's torso to her small waist, making sure to brush over certain mounds on the way. Mei now deepened the kiss with her tongue, but Yuzu allowed herself to be dominated by the younger girl, her focus being on where her hand was going, not so much on her lips; She knew she would be topping that all in due time.

Her fingers played with the hem of Mei's nightgown, after less than a minute the teasing of the fabric became old news to Yuzu, she wanted more. Reaching beneath the ruffled silk-like material her hand was surrounded by warm air. Eager to touch the hot skin, Yuzu wasted no time with the underwear as her hand slipped straight past them, taking one of the round cheeks in her grasp.

After the first firm squeeze, Mei had no choice but to pull away from the blonde's lips. Coming up and taking a much-needed breath of air, Mei took the moment to look down to Yuzu who much like herself, was using the moment to catch her breath.

"Yu-Yuzu... I... booked the appointment for ten...ten thirty..." Through husky breath, Mei finally managed to spill the words out. Yuzu, who seemed to have caught her breath much faster than Mei, quickly reached for her phone to check the time.

 _09:15 Really Mei, why so damn early?_

Letting out a groan of frustration Yuzu flopped herself back onto the mattress, her hand that was busy now just rested on Mei's thigh.

The closest car dealer shop was a twenty-minute drive from where they were, and that was only if Mei had chosen that one. That bringing their time together down to about fifty-five minutes, plus the time Mei would take for leaving early. Aside from this, they both needed to shower, have breakfast and look presentable before leaving. Giving them virtually no spare time at all.

"God Mei, why did you initiate something if you knew we didn't have time to actually do it?" Yuzu looked up to Mei, but unlike she had expected to see Mei only saw love in the grass green eyes. There was no annoyance or irritation at the loss of contact, Yuzu had a slight smile on her lips as she reached up to her face with her hand and caressed it lightly.

"Sorry, I guess I forgot. You don't even look disappointed, I guess you didn't need it that bad." Mei gave a playful smile to which Yuzu countered by sitting upright, the motion knocking Mei off her torso and onto her thighs. Unlocking their fingers as she rose, Yuzu slipped a hand behind Mei's back to make sure she didn't accidentally hurt the girl and flopped her onto her back. She was now leaning between Mei's legs, resting on her elbows that were either side of Mei's head. A mischevious grin on her face, Yuzu peppered Mei's face in kisses which were responded to with a cute giggle. _Hmph, I bet no one else can make Mei giggle._

"Oh how wrong you are, I really want you. I'm only slightly disappointed because I know we can do it later. You know, unless you have plans to run away with another amazingly fashionable, super smart, funny blonde, then I have nothing to worry about." With a grin, Yuzu pressed her lips back onto Mei's. Soft, they were always so damn soft, like kissing hundreds of baby marshmallows.

"I would never." Mei smiled once her lips were released, she watched Yuzu reluctantly move back onto the bed. Taking the outstretched hand, Mei also sat up and waited while Yuzu quickly checked her phone before she jumped from the bed.

 _09:27_

Time not seeming to be on her side as when Yuzu looked at her phone it had already been more than ten minutes since she last checked it. God how unfair life could be sometimes.

"I'm gonna go put something together for breakfast. You should shower now, then we'll eat together after that I'll go for a shower and hopefully we leave in time." Giving Mei no time to argue, Yuzu took her now empty can from the night before and made her way towards the kitchen.

Flopping down onto the bed Mei decided to give herself ten more minutes to wake up. She had slept for more than twelve hours yet her body still needed just that little bit of time to adjust to the bright morning light.

"Mei! I can't hear the shower yet meaning you're still in bed! Get up!" Well, that was her plan, but less than three minutes into her extra sleep the very loud voice of the blonde rang through the apartment. Probably loud enough that any neighbours they had that may have still been sleeping, were definitely awake now. Letting out a groan of her own, Mei ever so slowly made her way over to her wardrobe where she eventually picked out an outfit and made her way to the bathroom.

She really didn't like being the one on the receiving end of instructions.

When she eventually came through, Yuzu was already at the table waiting for her. Her food was untouched as she patiently waited for Mei to finish showering so they could eat together. When hearing the girl come along the hall Yuzu smiled but she was met with a dull glare. Mei still feeling bitter about being shouted at, silently sat down at the table and started eating, not uttering a word to Yuzu.

"What's wrong with you?" Yuzu quizzed as she too started eating. She could only think of one thing that could have made Mei like this, but she didn't really see why that would have this effect on the girl. Mei spoke to her like that all the time.

"You mean aside from you shouting at me, nothing." Giving the monotone response Mei didn't look up from her plate, she didn't know why she was in this mood she just was.

"Mei, as much as I love your petty side, we really don't have time for it this morning. I need to go shower and because you took so long we are probably going to be late. So putting aside time, I really don't want to have to deal with any attitude." Yuzu scolded, and Mei once again flinched at being told off, but she couldn't deny that the girl did have a point. Mei being slow in the morning, it had taken her the better half of thirty minutes to shower. Thus giving Yuzu twenty minutes at the latest to shower, get dressed and put makeup on.

"Listen I'm sorry for shouting at you, I didn't mean to make you feel crappy. I have to go and shower when I come back you better be smiling, cuz I can't be cheery and happy if you are being all gloomy."

After eating her breakfast in record time, Yuzu left the table with a kiss to Mei's cheek hoping the small action would cheer her up somewhat.

The drive to the motor shop was a much happier environment than the dining table had been. In the ten minutes, Yuzu was in the shower Mei seemed to have taken on her words, she was happy and was showing it as much as she usually did; Which to anyone outside of close friends or family looked like she was bored out of her mind but Yuzu could tell that Mei was feeling better, the unnecessary small talk she was making was a clear sign of that.

"So what type of car are you wanting to get, something very different from this one I assume?" Yuzu briefly looked to Mei from the driver's seat and saw the unappreciative look she got for her statement.

"Yuzu I said that I don't like the colour of this car I didn't mean the make or design. And it's our car so if you want to stick to Mercadies then I don't mind, but I think I want a black car. They don't attract too much attention and it has to have been made in the past three years, though I would prefer the past two. Other than that I don't have anything specific. What about you?" Mei looked at Yuzu from her side of the car and watched as Yuzu seemed to be having a small debate with herself.

"Anything is fine, I don't mind." Yuzu gave the short answer as she intently watched the traffic. In actuality, Yuzu was still wary about spending such a large sum of money, money that she didn't really see as hers. Mei although having assured her that it was theirs to share, she didn't want to put to much input on what they were going to buy. As if her not specifying what she liked would make whatever car they ended up buying Mei's choice, and therefore taking the guilt off Yuzu somehow. She didn't exactly feel comfortable saying she wanted this specific thirty grand car and for Mei to just buy it for them, it felt wrong. Yuzu had agreed and come to understand Mei's views yesterday, but she wanted this to be Mei's choice, it was technically her money.

"Yuzu we talked this over yesterday, I know you care about what type of car you drive, so stop thinking about money. When we get there I want you to actually give your honest opinion on the cars. Okay?" Mei continued to watch Yuzu as she leaned against the window of the passenger side, she saw the blonde give a small nod before a smile crept onto her lips.

"Oh, totally off topic but I have some news, Mei!" Yuzu once again took a quick peek at Mei who was waiting for the continuation of the sentence. After a nervous chuckle Yuzu took a deep breath before speaking.

"I know your gonna be totally mad and be all 'That's unnecessary, or that's bad for school' but... I got a job, well I might have depending on how my first week goes. It's only part-time so I'm not going to be away all the time, but when I went in and asked what hours I could work I got a lot more than I expected which is good." Daring to look around to a silent Mei, Yuzu was met with a stern stare.

"And exactly what is so important that you need to work and jeopardise your education?" Mei didn't even raise her brow, her expression blank. She did not like the idea of Yuzu falling behind in school for some part-time job.

"And what is the job and where?" Adding that last part at the end, seeing as Yuzu had missed it out.

"Just saving, and it's a waitress job at an Indian restaurant not that far from the house. It's only about a ten-minute walk. We have actually ordered from there a couple of times cuz they are a restaurant and a take-out place. They are super busy on weekends so they said I could work from Thursday till Sunday in the evenings, and several days throughout the week or on the weekend as well. Obviously, I'm going to work the shifts around my lectures and I'll make sure to leave time for extra study. So you have nothing to worry about." Yuzu smiled, she was happy she had found a job, it gave her the luxury of having more money but it also made her feel just that little bit more grown up.

"You realise if you work all those days one you will be exhausted and two, you won't be able to go to any parties or anything? Well at least not on the weekend, and you are not going to any on a school night. You will practically be giving up your social life." Mei made sure to point out all the negatives hoping one would be enough to make Yuzu reconsider, she really didn't like the sound of this. Perhaps if it was just one or two days a week, but from the sound of it Yuzu would be working thirty hours a week plus the twelve hours of lectures she had, Mei was sure she would burn herself out. For Yuzu that was a lot of energy, but everybody had their breaking point and Mei didn't want to see the blonde hit hers.

"I don't mind. I like going out, but if I am working all night I would rather just come home, shower and be with you. Oh but you might already be in bed when I get home so I guess not, I'll just cuddle in with you then." Yuzu gave a dry laugh as she thought about it, she would most nights be coming home to a quiet apartment. Her new boss stated that if she did take the weekend hours at night, most shifts ran from five till between ten and twelve, and that was only if it wasn't really busy. This, however, didn't bother Yuzu, she was happy to work for her money and she would be able to socialise while doing it.

"If that is what you want then so be it, but when your grades drop I will be expecting you to quit." Mei looked to Yuzu who still smiled as she nodded her head in an exaggerated manner.

"Yes Mei I know the drill, but I think what you meant was _if_ my grades drop." Yuzu smiled as she pulled the car up, the conversation had gone smoother than she thought it would have and had left her in a happier mood.

Turning off the engine, Yuzu jumped out and got around to Mie's side just in time to open the door for the younger girl with an outstretched hand.

"My lady." Bowing for dramatic effect, Yuzu waited for Mei to take her hand, a cheesy grin on her face. However, not far from what she expected, Mei swatted her hand away and got out herself, her cheeks red in embarrassment. They were surrounded by people, this was no place for Yuzu's silly stunts.

"Please at least try and act like an adult. We are here seeing a professional, it won't look very good if you look like you are helping a Disney Princess out of a car. So please just try." As she stepped out of the car she took Yuzu's hand, but only when it was at her side and they were walking towards the entrance of the shop.

"Hey, I am a grown-up, and I was helping a Princess from the car. A beautiful princess called Mei, also known as my girlfriend." With her signature smile, Yuzu ignored Mei's eye roll and lead them into the shop.

"Good morning ladies, how can I help you today?" A short lady with a bob cut welcomed them at the front desk, her smile rivalling Yuzus.

"Good morning, we have an appointment booked under the name Aihara. It was for ten thirty, I apologise that we are slightly late, we were running behind schedule." Politely introducing them, Mei gave an apologetic smile knowing they were almost ten minutes late. Yet without question, the receptionist had them with an employee within the next five minutes.

"So ladies, what are we looking for today? Something new and flashy, affordable or maybe you are going rustic?" The crisp man smiled as he met the two, a firm and probably forced smile on his face.

"Good morning, we would like something new, preferably in the last two years and black. Other than that we don't really have anything in mind... Yuzu do you want to stick with the same style we have now or not?" After talking to the man who seemed to be making a short list of the cars they had, turned to Yuzu who instantly shook her head.

"No, we can look at anything I don't mind. I don't have anything in particular in mind either." Yuzu smiled to Mei who nodded before moving towards the man who was gesturing for the two to follow him.

They walked for less than two minutes while the middle-aged man created friendly small talk. They passed many cars on their small travel, some of which Yuzu really liked the look of however they weren't black. They were being led outside where most of the cars were kept, but Yuzu couldn't help her eyes wandering over the shop. There weren't many people inside, but it was fairly early, and Yuzu had noticed this particular store had quite high pricing. Not the place for everyday buyers.

Just as they were exiting she saw a _very_ nice car in the back of the store, a barrier separating people from touching it without permission.

She had to hold in a gasp as she took in the sight, it was sleek, smart and just God damn gorgeous. And it was black. Her eyes flicked to the red tag on the window and her heart broke in two, she may have even chocked a little.

 _£190,000_

Giving the forbidden beauty one last look, Yuzu pulled her eyes back to Mei and the suited man who were now several yards in front of her. Jogging to catch up, she took Mei's hand in her own and apologised for stopping.

"Did you see something you liked?" Mei glanced towards Yuzu who instantly shook her head.

"Ahh no sorry, I was just in a daze... what did you find?" Giving a squeeze to her girlfriend's hand, Yuzu looked back and forth between her company. They were now surrounded but modern cars, not all of them black like Mei had specified but at least a dozen and a half were.

An hour passed maybe more, and Yuzu was sure she would have been having a better time studying. Mei, on the other hand, was getting annoyed that Yuzu didn't seem to have an interest in any of the cars she pointed out. Her opinion either saying it was okay or it was _nice_ , and if it exceeded the price range of _£40,000_ it would always be 'If you like it we can choose this one, but I don't like...'.

She could tell that both Mei and the employee were getting irritated by her indecisiveness, but she couldn't help it. She wanted this to be Mei's choice. So in an attempt to avoid putting in too much input, whenever Mei was looking at a new car Yuzu's eyes wandered to the car behind the glass windows. It looked just as amazing from every angle she saw it. Yuzu obviously didn't know the specifics of the car, all she could see was that it was an Audi and that it looked like a sports car, but other than that she didn't know a thing. Which didn't really matter considering she wasn't buying it. The constant looking away didn't pass Mei, it seemed every chance she got Yuzu was looking back to the doors they had come out of.

"Excuse me, sir, do you have any cars that meet my specifications inside?" Mei asked as she pointed to where Yuzu was gazing, but at what she still didn't know. The windows being slightly tinted alongside Mei not having seen the car on her way out, stopped her from noticing the car at the back of the store.

"We have one Ma'am but I don't expect you'd be interested in it." Shuffling at his sentence, the assistant gave an awkward smile.

"And why might that be?" Folding her arms over her chest, Mei was sure to challenge the man. He had known her for less than a day and yet he knew what she liked? That did not sit well with Mei, not at all. Her now cold stare hollowed the man from the inside out, leaving him a stuttering mess.

"I-I meant no offence Ma'am I assure you. I just assumed that you and your partner here were looking for something a bit more modest, in both design and price than the one we have over there." Noticing the change in the man's tone, Yuzu looked back to see Mei staring down the now sheet white man.

Unsure of what had happened in the few seconds she had been looking away, Yuzu stepped in front of Mei, who at this moment was trying to send her fireballs straight through Yuzu to the man behind her.

"Hey babe what's going on, how about you stop looking at the attendant like you want to kill him?" Yuzu lightly pushed on Mei's upper arms making her take several steps away from a relieved man.

"Nothings going on, we were just about to go and take a look at the car you keep ogling. Unless you still have a problem with that?" Mei stated, her tone going cold and eyes narrowed as she looked over the blonde's shoulder to the man, who was only just starting to regain the colour to his cheeks.

"No-no let me take you over. Please follow me." Briskly walking back to the door he left the two women to follow behind him.

"Mei, are you trying to give the man a heart attack?" Yuzu said, her voice full of amusement at what had occurred.

"He was claiming to know what I would and wouldn't like. The man doesn't know me so he shouldn't make assumptions. Anyway, we are going to take a look at the car you keep ogling." Mei started off still bitter at the man, but her tone grew lighter as she continued to conversate with the blonde.

"What car are you talking about, I haven't even seen one that we both liked yet?" Talking as they walked, Yuzu didn't need an answer as she was soon met with the car she had seen when first exiting the building.

"Ladies this is an Audi R8 coupé plus, a 2018 model. As you can see it is a sports car and has a five-point two litre engine, not something most people are looking for however the car does have several interchangeable setting to accommodate driving conditions. She runs an average of twenty-three miles to the gallon. Along with this, it's an automatic and has many features inside the car such as heated leather seats and a rearview camera... The price coming in at £190,000." Having regained his confidence, the man spoke proudly as he recited the memorised information.

Looking at the car, Mei couldn't deny that it did look attractive but it was definitely not one that would attract little attention. She, had it not been for the euphoric look in Yuzu's eyes, would have walked right past it.

"Do you like it?" Mei nearly laughed when she saw Yuzu's jaw drop at the question. It was higher than she had initially planned to spend on a car, but if Yuzu liked it she did mind. If it was within her power to get Yuzu something she wanted, the blonde could almost guarantee it would be hers.

"Yeah it's... stunning, I think it's amazing but c'mon that car is worth more than a fricken house. It's waay too much. Let's just go back outside, there were some nice ones out there." Yuzu after getting over her new found love for the black car, urged Mei back outside by lightly tugging on their intertwined hands.

"Given an estimated driving time, how much would it cost to run the car for a year? On fuel alone I mean, don't add on tax or insurance." Mei didn't budge as she turned back to the man who had taken out a tablet, that Mei assumed held detailed information.

"For the average person, it would cost between two and three thousand pounds a year. Assuming that you stay within those limits with limited long trips you shouldn't hit the four mark." The man smiled, now interested in knowing he might be making a very big sale.

Information was received and after a long conversation, in which Yuzu insisted she didn't want the car, Mei was currently going over paperwork with the man; Discussing a test drive.

"Hey, can we stop and talk about this for a second?... In private?" First looking at Mei then to the man next to her, he clearly got the message.

"Of course. I'll be over here when you are ready, I'll go and get the fog." He gave a polite smile with a bow and left the two alone.

"Mei, what the hell are you doing?" Yuzu asked in a hushed voice as she walked the two away from the reception where they had been filling out the forms.

"I'm filling out papers for a test drive." Mei, although knew what Yuzu was referring to, decided just to answer bluntly.

"I know you know what I mean. I know it's a nice car... a really nice car, but that amount of money is just preposterous. Why are you looking at this one, what about all the ones you liked outside? They suddenly don't seem as bad anymore." A troubled look was on Yuzu's face, she really couldn't help it. She could have sworn she was having a panic attack at the thought of spending so much on one item.

"You said you didn't like any of the ones outside, and you were looking at this car like you had fallen in love with it. Literally, I mean I can't remember the last time you looked at me with that much love and adoration." Although it probably wasn't the time for teasing, Mei couldn't help it, it was too easy.

When the flustered girl didn't respond Mei placed a hand on her shoulder, a warm smile on her lips. "I'm kidding Yuzu, but only partly. I swear I have said this a thousand times, but money isn't a problem if this is the car you like then we will get this one. And before you say it should be something we both want, it's black and was made in the last year. It may not have been what I would have initially gone for, but it is an attractive car I can't deny that." Mei spoke calmly, trying to reassure Yuzu who was obviously panicking about spending all of her money.

"We're not getting a car, especially one that costs this much, if you don't like it Mei. I want it to be mainly your decision, and this car doesn't really seem like your type." Yuzu continued her argument, this was definitely not something Mei would buy for herself.

"I did just say that it's not a car I would have bought had you not liked it, but it's a nice car none the less. I don't dislike it at all, and it most definitely is your type of car, and if you like it as well as me then there isn't much else to say. We are going for a test drive and you can complain after you have driven it." After assuring the blonde for what felt like the thousandth time, Mei led them back to the man who was patiently waiting for them.

"Sorry for the wait, we just had some final things to discuss. Are you ready for the test drive?" Smiling again, Mei and gave a squeeze to Yuzu's hand.

"It's no problem at all, who would like to go first?" The man walked over to the passenger side and waited. Someone had already moved the car outside and it was ready for either of the two to get in and drive.

"Mei you're going first, I'll wait here. If you like how it feels I will have a shot, if not then we look at something else, deal?" Yuzu motioned towards the car as she let go of Mei's hand.

"Okay, fine. I shouldn't be longer than fifteen minutes." Mei nodded once to Yuzu before stepping into the car.

Yuzu saw Mei talking to the employee for several minutes, who was probably explaining all the functions of the car, then the car swiftly left the store. Yuzu watched as Mei disappeared along with the car, the drive looked smooth and controlled. It really was just like Mei to get the hang of something like this so quickly.

Almost twenty minutes had passed when Yuzu saw the car come back, and unlike she had expected Mei stepped out with an uncharacteristically large smile on her face.

"I take it you liked it then?" Yuzu asked as she watched Mei jump out of the car. Practically skipping over to Yuzu, Mei took her face in her hands.

"That was amazing Yuzu! I love that it's an automatic, there are no keys and it locks by itself, it makes things so much easier. It drives so smoothly and it looks and feels so good inside. I will be very disappointed if you can't drive it, because I want this car." Mei continued to smile at Yuzu, her eyes were sparkling and her white teeth were showing she was smiling so brightly.

With a quick kiss to the blonde's lips, Mei pulled herself away and gestured to the car.

"I'll take that as a big yes then." Yuzu couldn't help but laugh as Mei bounced up and down on her toes as she waited for her to get in.

Yuzu's mind soared as she looked around the interior of the car. It was as slick as the outside was, and she couldn't help but giggle knowing she would soon be driving it.

"So you partner told me you currently drive a non-automatic car, so it may take you a little time to get out of the habit of reaching for the clutch, but if you are anything like your partner you should be absolutely fine. Whenever you're ready, you can start her up and head out." Giving the mandatory briefing, he then smiled as he went over several other features in the car.

Soon much like Yuzu had, Mei, with slightly more excitement, watched the black car drive out of the store.

When the car was out of sight, Mei's smile depleted somewhat.

Wanting to make sure the blonde gave the car a fair test, Mei may have exaggerated her excitement for the car. All of the points she had made about it were true, and Mei did like the car more than she thought she would have. But it was very rare for her to show such open excitement towards something, especially if they were in public.

She understood why Yuzu was acting the way she was, but Mei wanted this to be their car. If that meant she showed her approval of the car with exaggerated expressions, so be it. As long as she got an honest review from the blonde at the end she didn't mind.

Fifteen minutes later, the car came back and Mei couldn't decide whether to roll her eyes or smile when Yuzu roared the engine before turning it off.

"So what did you think? Can you drive it properly despite it being an automatic?" Mei asked as this time both Yuzu and the assistant got out the car.

"She was a natural, much like yourself. Though she seems to like the engine more than you did." The man smiled, and Mei couldn't help but imagine Yuzu going down the street making a show of herself.

"That was great Mei!" Trying to sound casual, Yuzu walked over to Mei and took her hands in her own.

"Well, it's settled then. We'll be taking this car." Mei looked to the man expectantly, who much like she had expected wore a huge smile.

"Of course, please follow me there is some paperwork for you both before you can drive her away." He said while motioning to the reception where the paperwork work was already waiting for them.

"How would you like to pay today? We can do monthly instalments over a number of years, however, if you are able to make an all-cash payment right now we are able to knock down the price slightly for you." Looking between the two, he really didn't expect the answer he got next.

Yuzu looked to Mei, not knowing what she wanted to do. It seemed more responsible to pay it every month, but she knew Mei had the cash to buy it outright.

"We will be making an all-cash buy, also we would like to put our other car against it. Is that okay?" Mei looked to Yuzu for confirmation about their old car. After she had shown her excitement for their new car, Mei didn't think Yuzu would want to keep the old one but she still had to ask.

Like she had expected, Yuzu gave a quick nod of her head and smiled to the man.

"That's absolutely fine, we can get someone to have a look at it and have it valued. Other than that everything is all set then." Walking towards a back room, he emerged with another man who ended up valuing their current car and giving them a final price.

Within half an hour Mei and Yuzu were placing the items from their old car into the new one.

"I didn't realise you kept so much crap in the car Yuzu. I mean honestly, this is just embarrassing." Placing the bag of stuff at her feet, Mei waited while Yuzu jumped into the driver's side.

"It's not crap Mei, I need back up makeup in here. What if we are out and I need to redo my mascara or something, and having paper and pens is hardly embarrassing. Anyways some of this stuff is yours, for example, there were your briefcase and your jacket, they took up loads of space. Are you sure you don't want to drive?" Yuzu gave her defence easily as she settled in the leather seat.

"Those two things I was using the other day and they don't count as embarrassing, they are every day and business items. Makeup and random objects from your pencil case that you have chucked in the back seat out of laziness _is_ embarrassing. No, I don't want to drive... just be careful." Mei gave the lecture as she waited for Yuzu to pull away. She knew Yuzu was a good driver but she had been told, and her earlier experience told her that getting used to using the automatic would take a little time.

"Hmph it was my car, I don't care what other people think about what I have in it." Grumbling Yuzu started the car, she didn't like the accusations she was receiving. Why should it be a problem if there was some random stuff in the back of their car? It wasn't like anyone ever used their back seats so it shouldn't have mattered.

"Well please don't treat this car the same, I know we have insurance but I'm not sure it'll cover your foundation stains." Turning to look out the window, Mei sighed.

"Hey! You do your makeup in the car sometimes, and you drop stuff more than I do." Being cautious of what she was doing, Yuzu still managed to fight her side of the argument. It was true that Mei was more prone to dropping things, especially her makeup when she was in the car. Whether it was just because she wasn't as used to handling the small items or she was just clumsy Yuzu didn't know, but she didn't like being accused of ruining something when Mei seemed to be more of a liability

Deciding not to respond, Mei continued to look out the window. There was no way she was going to win this one, she knew Yuzu was right which meant so did Yuzu.

There was a silence in the car, and aside from the engine, there wasn't a sound. This lasted for ten minutes, Mei never looked away from the window, and Yuzu put all her focus on her driving.

"When are you starting your job Yuzu?" Not wanting the trivial argument to continue, Mei finally broke the suffocating silence.

Yuzu was quick to lose her attitude. Mei changing the topic without a comeback was like her way of admitting she was wrong. For Yuzu that was as good as her saying 'I'm sorry'.

"I have a training day a week Thursday, so the fourteenth. I'm doing lunch which runs from twelve till two, and then I'm working that night as well. If I like it and they want me to work for them, they said I'll start the next again week and I'll get send an email with the timetable to let me know what hours I'm doing. They said that I should be working roughly the same hours and days every week, but they just send out the time table in case someone books time off. They have over a dozen staff cuz the restaurant is so big, so there is a work timetable sent out on Sunday for the rest of the week. I won't know till then what hours I'm working next week." Yuzu spoke cheerily, happy at the thought of working.

"So I won't see you at all over the weekend?" Mei although didn't mean to, sounded disappointed at what the blonde had said. She liked cuddling up at the end of the night, and she really didn't like going to bed without Yuzu. She felt she never slept well knowing that she wasn't in the bed beside her.

"Awe please don't be like that Mei, you'll make me feel bad. And the evening shift doesn't start till five, so you have the whole day with me." Reaching over Yuzu took Mei's hand and gave it a light squeeze. After, she lifted it to her lips and placed a kiss to the back of Mei's hand. Her eyes never left the road but Mei knew they would be glistening if she was looking at her.

"Yeah, I know. Why do you want to work Yuzu? It's not like you actually need the money, so why put yourself under extra stress for no reason?" Mei spoke calmly as she waited for Yuzu to respond, she still didn't like the idea of her working this much or at all.

"I don't _need_ money no, but I just want to have some savings so if I ever want to buy something I can. And having a job makes me feel more grown up...If it does get to be too much for me you know I'll stop it to focus on school." Laughing as she answered, Yuzu took the moment to give a quick smile to Mei. A final bit of reassurance.

"Okay... Why didn't you discuss it with me first?" Mei knew there was nothing she could do about it now, but she was slightly confused or maybe even offended that Yuzu hadn't thought to talk to her about it before actually taking on the job. She would text her to make sure it was okay to stay out later than she thought she'd be, but a conversation about getting a job wasn't even considered.

"I wanted to talk to you about it but I knew you would say no. I thought if I got the job first then told you, you wouldn't be able to say no. I know it was wrong but I really wanted to get a job and this seemed like the only way... I didn't mean to upset you, Mei..." By this point Yuzu was parking the car and turning off the engine, she was now facing Mei who was watching her intently.

"I'm fine, I just wanted to know why you didn't ask me first. I understand, well I kind of understand why you want a job, so I'm not upset. But if you ever feel the need to do something important like this again, please talk to me about it before you go and make any rash decisions." Mei gave Yuzu a look that resembled a plea, and to Yuzu that was heartbreaking.

Quickly taking off her seatbelt, Yuzu leaned forward and after taking Mei's face in her hands, she gave a bright smile and a nod.

"Absolutely, you don't have to worry about that. Promise!" Smiling when she pulled back, Yuzu got out of the car and much like earlier met Mei at her side of the car. With a roll her eyes Mei took Yuzu's hand, allowing the blonde to assist her out of the car.

"Hehe see, a princess." Bending down, Yuzu once again dramatically bowed as she kissed the back of Mei's hand.

"Let's hurry up and go inside, you are attracting unnecessary attention," Mei said, she had already pulled her hand away from Yuzu, and was walking towards the stairwell of their apartment.

"Right, I'm sure it's me kissing your hand that's attracting attention and not the two hundred grand car parked in the drive." Yuzu gave the sarcastic remark and watched as Mei faltered in her step slight.

"Do you need to contradict me on everything?" Mei responded casually, ignoring the point Yuzu had. This only made Yuzu smile more.

Her laughing slowing her down, Yuzu tried to catch up to Mei. "Haha come on, I know you really love me for it." Eventually catching up to Mei when she was opening the door, Yuzu stumbled up the last steps and playfully jumped onto Mei, her arms wrapping around the younger's neck. The force made Mei tumble into the apartment with Yuzu right behind her.

The two entered the house clattering to the floor, Yuzu landing on Mei's back with her arms still around the girl's shoulders.

Mei let out a groan as she tried to push herself up from the floor.

"What the hell Yuzu? That hurt, hurry up and get off." Grumbling, Mei pushed Yuzu off her and onto to floor with her elbow. Mei sat up and quickly rubbed her hands together, hoping the movement would reduce the stinging sensation going through them.

"Oh, shit Mei, are you okay?!" Losing her laughter as quickly as she had gained it, Yuzu got to her knees and took one of Mei's hands and rubbed it between her two. Her eyes glancing over the rest of the girl's petite frame for any sign of injury; thankfully nothing stood out.

"I'm so sorry Mei, I didn't think you would lose your balance like that. Is anything else sore? Give me your other hand." Yuzu's voice was laced in concern and guilt as she switched Mei's hands, rubbing it much like she had the other one. The action similar to what you would do when a child fell, Yuzu rubbed the younger's palms until she thought they felt better.

"Maybe next time don't be so rough. I'm fine, you can stop that now." Standing up, Mei moved her hands out of the blonde's grasp, took off her jacket and shoes and moved into the lounge like normal. Yuzu, however, did notice she was still rubbing her hands on her thighs. Not that Yuzu was very heavy, but that extra weight and the speed combined would surely hurt Mei when her hands made contact with the laminate flooring. Yuzu heard the slapping sound of Mei's soft flesh smacking against the hard floor if it was herself, she would have definitely sworn at the pain.

Quickly plucking her boots off, Yuzu followed Mei into the house. It didn't surprise her when she turned Mei to look at her and was met with watering eyes.

"Mei I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you, please let me help." Yuzu was crushed inside, Mei was crying because of her. Taking the red-raw palms back in her hands, Yuzu continued to rub them. She didn't even know if the act was helping or not, it just seemed like the right thing to do.

"Should I get you an ice pack?" Yuzu asked, her sentence rushed as she tried to think of any way she could help. Yuzu felt like she was going to cry only because Mei was crying.

"No Yuzu I'm fine. It stings a little but I don't need an ice pack. Just sit down and stop worrying." For the second time, Mei pulled her hands away from Yuzu, her eyes telling Yuzu to back off.

"Sorry... Do you want some lunch or tea or something?" Yuzu looked down at her own hands, they were clenched into fists. How could something with such innocent intentions end up hurting her instead?

 _Why do I have to be so fucking stupid all the time, I just end up hurting her._ With guilt swarming her, Yuzu could feel her eyes starting to water, she had hurt the person she loved whether it was unintentional or not.

Not wanting Mei to see her crying over this, Yuzu quietly got from the couch and made her way to the kitchen. However before she reached her destination, she was stopped by the sound of Mei's voice.

"Yuzu come here." Mei's tone left no room for debate, Yuzu with no choice, turned around and walked back to Mei. She dried her eyes with the back of her hand and looked down to the raven-haired girl.

Her eyes were no longer dampened by tears, and she had stopped wiping her hands together.

"Yuzu you don't have to cry over this. It hurt a little but I'm completely fine, my hands don't even hurt anymore. I wasn't expecting you to jump on me like that so I lost my balance, it was an accident it wasn't your fault." An understanding smile was on the younger face as she stood from the couch. Using her thumbs to wipe away the stray teardrops on Yuzu's pink cheeks, Mei left her hands cupping the warm face.

"I know you didn't mean to hurt me Yuzu, it didn't even hurt that bad. I think it was more of a shock factor rather than actual pain. Look my hands are fine, so you don't need to get upset or feel bad about anything... One thing you can do to apologise, maybe make me something to eat, how's that sound?" Mei gave her best attempt of a reassuring smile and waited for Yuzu to reply.

"Anything you want. Anything at all, what do you feel like?" Yuzu immediately perked up at the option to repay Mei for what she had done.

Seeing that Yuzu was back, Mei removed her hands from the girl's face and stood normally. "Anything is fine, but make sure you make something that you want for lunch as well. I will not have you going hungry." Mei sighed as she watched Yuzu rush into the kitchen and start preparing something for the pair to eat.

"Do you mind if I go and call Grandfather?" Mei looked over to Yuzu who smiled up from whatever she was preparing.

"Of course, go ahead. I'll call you through when it's ready if you aren't already finished." With a nod, Yuzu smiled to Mei before going back to her task. It was just like Mei to call her Grandfather as soon as she had done something he had asked. Yuzu suspected she was going to call him just to verify that the car was up to his standards. She wouldn't say that obviously, but she didn't like that Mei still sought so much approval from him. Mei was twenty years old, and it was less than a month till she turned twenty-one, she shouldn't have to do things just because he wanted things to be a certain way.

These thoughts also reminded Yuzu that she had to plan something for Mei's twenty-first. Yuzu's birthday had passed during the summer holidays, and she along with Mei had gone out with some friends to a club. Afterwards, Yuzu received a very intimate gift from Mei, and Yuzu could say with certainty that that was some of the best hours of her life.

Yuzu didn't think Mei would want to do that sort of thing for her birthday, Mei although could have fun at a club, preferred to go to quieter places. Mei, up until her meeting Yuzu didn't do much of anything in celebrating her birthday. Yuzu knew she did when she was younger, Sho had shown her pictures of small gatherings or parties of Mei's first birthdays before he left. But after that, Yuzu couldn't find any photos or stories from Himiko or Mei. After finding this out, Yuzu made a promise to herself that she would never let Mei spend a birthday alone.

Yuzu would brainstorm later, she still had two weeks. Right now she was focused on making the best make up lunch she could.

* * *

 **Hey peoples, thanks for reading and as always I hoped you liked it.**

 **I feel like quite a bit has happened in the last few chapters, and the next few might be more focused on wherever I'm taking the plot but I'm going to try and focus a little more on Mei. I feel like I have been honing in on Yuzu and her emotional past a lot, so in the next few chapters, I'm not entirely sure when but I'll be introducing someone new who will hopefully let me write more about Mei.**

 **Anyways babble over, hope you liked it if you did I love hearing what you think. :)**


	25. Emptying The Bank

**This chapter takes place several days after the last, starting on Thursday.**

* * *

The new school year had started for both girls without a hitch. Mei was very much enjoying being back at school, and Yuzu although significantly less enthusiastic about going back, still had a relatively easy time getting back into things.

Mei had no classes on a Thursday afternoon and was using this time a slot for her weekly piano lesson. She had slightly fewer lectures compared to the blonde as she was taking a business course and Yuzu a science. Mei had a total of 9 hours worth of lectures a week while Yuzu had twelve, however, both liked to bump that up into the twenties with self-study. Mei more so than Yuzu had already started pulling that number up.

Today, however, Yuzu had the entire day off. Her having several lectures on a Tuesday allowed for her to have a clear schedule on Thursday. She usually spent her day going out with friends or actually studying, but today she had major plans.

She would start her Thursday like any other by walking Mei to her lecture at eleven, then she would come back home before going to Harumi's house. Next, she had a very important appointment to go to before picking Mei up from her afternoon piano lesson.

Currently, Yuzu was in the kitchen making breakfast for the two, humming happily to herself.

"I thought you said you had a class today, shouldn't you be more concerned about getting ready rather than making breakfast?" Mei came through, towel in hand as she dried her hair and looked to Yuzu.

"Haha... eh...turns out I don't... I read my timetable wrong, I have a class tomorrow afternoon not today." Yuzu said, giving a not so proud smile to the younger girl who was now leaning against the dinner table.

"But you said you were meeting Catty afterwards, would she not have known you got the dates wrong?" Mei looked at Yuzu confused as to how two people taking the same class could both mix it up. But as she thought about it properly, why would Catty need to call Yuzu if they were in the same lecture?

"Yes that's what I said, but she decided to change her degree this year. She dropped out of the biology course and decided to study art, which really sucks for me cuz now I am gonna have to find a new lab partner. But I'm still meeting her, we'll just be studying different things." Yuzu gave a sigh at the reminder that her friend had left the course.

Walking around Mei who was following the blonde with her eyes, Yuzu placed the dishes on the table before going back to the kitchen to get her tea.

"Oh, I see... I'm sure you will make a new friend to work with before the week is up." Mei gave the blonde a smile as she walked over to the kettle to make herself a cup of coffee.

"You know Mei, I really think you should drink less coffee. I mean including the one you are having now, you have already had like four cups worth of coffee this morning, and you no doubt will have more through the day." Yuzu grimaced as she watched the younger girl put two heaped teaspoons worth of coffee into her mug. Mei, in response dramatically tipped the last of the coffee from the spoon into her cup before putting the jar back in the cupboard.

"And?" The word came out bitterly as she turned to Yuzu. Once the hot beverage was in her grasp, she made her way to the table to eat her food never ceasing eye contact with the blonde.

"What do you mean 'and?' I'm telling you that you drink too much coffee, you need to cut down it isn't good for you." Yuzu still held Mei's firm gaze, though she wasn't certain she was going to win. Mei had her eyes narrowed and looked at Yuzu as if she had just sworn at her and cursed her entire family.

"My point is, that you saying this to me is the same as me telling you not to wear makeup every chance you get; Yet you don't see me complaining and telling you not to, even though it is probably bad for your skin." Mei continued to stare at Yuzu as she sipped on her freshly made coffee.

"Fine then, we'll make a deal. If you cut down the amount of coffee you drink every day, then I'll stop wearing so much makeup." Yuzu smiled to Mei feeling triumphant. Wearing less makeup didn't seem like such a big deal, and this way Mei stopped drinking as much coffee.

"...Fine" Mei eyed Yuzu for several more seconds before continuing to speak. "I'm not starting this until tomorrow." At her words, Mei seemed to grip her cup a little tighter, the thought of not drinking as much scaring her.

"I don't know what you are making a fuss over Mei, you used to always drink green tea. Why not just go back to drinking that? It's so much better for you." Yuzu raised her brow slightly to Mei as she ate her food, not knowing why Mei switched from tea to coffee when they started University.

"Perhaps you are right... If you are walking me to school we might want to leave soon, I don't want to be late for my lecture." Mei glanced between the clock and Yuzu. It was only ten twenty, but they lived off campus and it would take them almost twenty minutes to walk there.

"Yeah okay, I'll go and get changed when I'm finished. Oh, and is it okay if I take the car today? I am going to see Harumi after I drop you off, and I don't feel like walking." Yuzu looked up to Mei for a moment as she asked her question before going back to eating.

"You don't have to ask Yuzu, it's your car. If you want to take it to Harumi's house then do, you don't have to ask me." Mei said this with a sigh, tired of the tedious task of making Yuzu see the car as theirs instead of Mei's.

"Okay!" Yuzu gave Mei a toothy grin before quickly finishing her food and leaving to get changed.

The two were now standing outside of Mei's lecture hall, chatting until Mei had to go inside. Yuzu was leaning against the wall next to the door, while Mei was standing up straight in front of her. Both Mei and Yuzu greeted several of their friends who went inside while they spoke.

The excitement for the day to come was coursing through Yuzu, she was physically having to stop herself from bouncing up and down. Reaching her hand out to Mei, Yuzu motioned for the girl to take it.

"Hey Mei, guess what," Yuzu smiled as Mei complied and took her hand. Using their hands, Yuzu pulled Mei in closer so they were just brushing up against one another.

"What?" Mei replied quickly, her cheeks going red at their proximity in front of her peers.

"Closer," Yuzu gently pulled the girl in closer so she was mere centimetres from her ear. When Mei's ear was finally within reach that Yuzu's breath brushed over it, Yuzu placed her spare hand on the younger's neck; Her fingers lightly playing with the silky sable hair.

Whispering, Yuzu started to speak making sure that her lips touched the flushed ear.

"I love you," Yuzu spoke softly, her voice full of purpose but a hint of playfulness was laced in too. When she was finished, she made sure to place a kiss on Mei's ear, lingering long enough that the warmth of Mei's ear remained on her lips when she pulled away.

"Emm, Yuzu we-we're in school." Flustered and full of embarrassment, Mei didn't know how to react.

"I know, but that doesn't change how I feel." Yuzu pulled back just enough so she could see Mei's cheeks, the sight making her grin.

"I. Love. You." Saying the words again, this time Yuzu placed a quick peck to the soft lips. Having too much energy for just a kiss on the lips, Yuzu settled for peppering Mei's now ruby red cheek in chaste kisses.

"I just thought I'd let you know." Moving away from Mei to lean back against the wall, Yuzu grinned at her girlfriend; At this point, she was starting to wonder if she would ever stop smiling today. She was just too happy.

"O-okay." Stuttering, Mei quickly looked around them to see who had witnessed the act. Luckily for her, few people lined the halls and they all seemed to be preoccupied with their own lives.

"I love it when you get flustered Mei." Giggling, Yuzu traced her hand over the burning hot cheek.

"I don't. Please don't do that when we're in school, especially outside my class. I have to sit in there knowing that some of them saw me kissing you. It's embarrassing." Taking Yuzu's hand off her cheek, Mei tried to cool her flushed face.

Swinging one of her legs back and forth, Yuzu nodded to Mei. "Okay, if you say so." Yuzu grinned to Mei and kissed her hand, her actions contradicting her words.

"I need to go in, class starts in five minutes. I need to set my stuff up before the lecturer gets in." Taking her hand back out of Yuzu's grasp, Mei moved from the blonde preparing to go into her class.

"Okay, I'll pick you up from your lesson later. I won't be home when you finish your class, so you will have to make lunch yourself or if you want I can make you something before I leave?" Yuzu looked to Mei.

She saw the girl think for a moment before shaking her head. "No, I'll make something before I leave for my lesson. I'll see you later okay, don't forget I finish at four don't be late." Mei smiled to Yuzu and was turning to leave when an all too familiar voice stopped her dead in her tracks.

"Yuzu! It's been ages since we last saw each other." Quickly turning around, Mei was meet with the beautiful face of none other than Jasmin. The one thing summer break had done, was it stopped Mei from having to look at the face of the one girl Mei could honestly say she hated. Well maybe hated was too strong a word, but it was very near there.

She watched silently as Yuzu embraced the taller girl with a laugh.

"Hey, Jasmin. It's been months, sorry." Giving the girl a tight squeeze, Yuzu laughed before moving away.

In all honesty, since the events of the party months ago Yuzu had been trying to minimise her time with the other girl. The last time she had seen her in person was a week before the summer holidays. They had messaged each other throughout the break, but Yuzu didn't want to give Mei the wrong idea by spending too much time with the girl.

"Hey don't worry about it. Since the incident at that party a while back I thought you were avoiding me. I just wanted to make sure there were no hard feelings." Jasmin looked to Yuzu, a dazzling smile plastered on her flawless lips.

Turning to Mei for the first time since she greeted Yuzu, Jasmin bowed slightly before smiling.

"Hey, it's good to see you. I know we don't speak much in class but I hope we can become good friends. Also, I wanted to apologise for what happened at the party, I was really drunk and wasn't thinking straight. I hope you can forgive and forget." With a bright smile, pearl white teeth met Mei, and she couldn't help but think it was fake.

 _Forgive and forget, as if. You weren't even drunk when you were fondling Yuzu. You lying, manipulative little-_

"It's good to see you again. I'm glad to hear that it was a misunderstanding, I look forward to getting to know you better." With a practised forced smile, Mei nodded. However, the bow was so insignificant, it might not have even been considered a one.

"This is great. I was a little worried about that actually, so it's great that you two are friends. I didn't know you guys were in the same course... Since it's been so long how about we meet up this weekend at some point?" Yuzu, oblivious to the tension between the taller girls, smiled and gestured to Jasmin.

"That would be nice. I have to go, class is starting any minute now, I'll text you later to set something up. Bye!" Smiling brightly, she left Yuzu with a nod off her head before walking past Mei and into the hall, leaving the two girls alone outside. Mei couldn't help but feel like the girl's smile was a little too smug as she walked past her.

"That was unexpected but I'm kinda glad we ran into her. I didn't want any weird tension going on between us cuz of what happened, but now that you two have made up I guess I have nothing to worry about. Right?" Yuzu spoke in a chipper tone, happy that her friendship with the girl would no longer be awkward as it had been over the break.

Mei, not liking the situation at all, didn't share Yuzu's smile. Her expression cold and neutral, Mei shuffled her bag pack on her should as she turned to leave into her class. Not quite wanting to explain what she was feeling to the blonde.

"I have to go, I'll see you later." Completely dodging the question, Mei turned and walked into the hall leaving Yuzu alone outside.

Walking into the lecture hall, Mei ignored the subtle shouts from the blonde and made her way to the back of the room where several spare seats lined the last row. Sitting down, she had only just managed to pull her notes from her bag when someone sat next to her.

Initially, she paid them no attention, not concerning herself with this person who couldn't have chosen to sit a seat away from her. But her efforts to ignore the person were futile when they started talking, what was worse for Mei was that it was the voice of the girl who had just left her.

"Hey Mei, how about we sit together?" The smooth voice rang through Mei like a drum. When she turned to her side she was met with non-other than Jasmin. She was just as Mei remembered her from their first meeting; Tall, silky hair, beautiful crystal clear eyes, and her body was still as flawless as Mei remember, only this time it was flaunting a little less skin. Now in high waisted skinny jeans, and a low cutting crop top. Even though less skin was visible, the excess cleavage being shown made the outfit just as provocative.

Minutes ago those breasts were pushed up against her girlfriend. Although Mei would never admit a thought like that had gone through her mind, she couldn't help the glare in her eyes as she looked at the girl sitting next to her.

"I appreciate it, however, I prefer to sit alone when learning it helps me concentrate." Mei mustered a smile but she knew she was still sending cold rays with her eyes.

"Oh I see, I apologise for any inconvenience I may have caused. It's funny though, I could have sworn Yuzu told me that you were super smart and didn't even need to try to get the grades you do. Perhaps she was wrong, I'll make sure to ask and correct her later." Voice laced with venomous intent, Jasmin got up to leave placing a 'caring' hand to Mei's shoulder.

"It's been great getting to know you better Mei, I feel even closer to Yuzu now. I guess I'll see you on the weekend." With a crisp smile, Jasmin walked away, her friends already waiting for her arrival.

Unsure why her mood would be affected by passive-aggressive motions from the taller girl, Mei once again found herself mindlessly tapping her pencil off her desk.

Why did Yuzu have to be friends with someone like Jasmin, she couldn't pick a nice girl who Mei would like.

Having no evidence at all, Mei still believed that Jasmin was making a pass at her girlfriend. She wasn't sure what annoyed her more: the fact that Yuzu was friends with someone who would try and sleep with someone who was in a relationship or that the girl thought Mei was naive enough to fall for her fake attempt at friendship. Most likely, Jasmin knew that she wasn't fooling Mei, but she was smart enough to know that Mei wouldn't act out because she hadn't said anything that would make her seem like a bad person.

To Yuzu, those accusations would just seem like fits of jealousy and thus, Mei was somewhat pinned by the taller girl; Unable to voice her worries to Yuzu for the risk of seeming like a jealous, overprotective girlfriend.

Maybe that was what annoyed Mei, that she had been cornered by this girl who she knew was just trying to get with her girlfriend. And Yuzu, who she loved dearly, was too oblivious to see the difference between a friendship and an attempt at a relationship. Not even a relationship, maybe it was her protectiveness getting the better of her, but Mei just _knew_ this Jasmin wanted a one night stand with her girlfriend and didn't seem like she was going to give up any time soon.

'Are you okay? You left without saying a proper goodbye, are you mad at me? xxx' Mei looked down to her phone and sighed. It wasn't even thirty minutes into her lesson and Yuzu was already texting her to make sure she was okay.

'Yes I'm completely fine, I was just in a rush to get into class and get set up. I'll see you later x' Discretely using her phone under her desk, Mei sent a quick response before trying to focus for the rest of the lesson.

She had nothing to worry about, Jasmin wasn't going to get anywhere with Yuzu so she wouldn't let it affect her education.

* * *

"Yuzu stop worrying, Mei said she is fine so just forget about it and tell me what this big surprise is." Sitting crossed legged on her bed, Harumi leaned over to Yuzu and pulled the phone from her hand.

"Hey, give that back!" Snatching the phone back from her best friend Yuzu browsed the message from Mei again, 'Yes I'm completely fine, I was just in a rush to get into class and get set up. I'll see you later x'. Frowning Yuzu looked back to Harumi.

"I know she said she is fine, but you didn't see her face before she left. She looked really sad and upset and I have no idea why. Two minutes before that she was happy as a bee. What do I do?" Yuzu, like a child, dramatically sprawled out on the bed, hoping her friend would be able to see what she was missing.

"C'mon this is the Prez we're talking about here, she isn't going to tell you straight up if there is something bothering her. Just send her a text back saying you'll see her later and put some mushy crap on the end just so she knows that you care, then when you get home later you can talk to her about it in person. But, you have been here for almost twenty minutes and you still haven't told me what this big secret is, I even sent Matsuri back to her house just so we could be alone and you aren't even telling me what's going on." Pouting, Harumi gave an exasperated sigh and waited as Yuzu did as instructed and started to send Mei a short reply.

'Okay, if you're sure. I'll see you when I pick you up, and just so you know I'm taking you out for dinner tonight so make sure you don't have any plans this evening. I love you! xxx' Smiling slightly, Yuzu finally turned off her phone and sat up on the bed looking Harumi in the eye.

"Okay, okay. What I'm gonna tell you, you can't say to anyone, not even Matsuri. I love her and all but she hasn't got the best track record of keeping things secret, and I don't want her letting anything slip when she is talking to Mei." Yuzu looked expectantly to Harumi, who in response nodded her head without a second thought. The blonde had been very vague about what she was coming over to talk about, only stating that she had some big news and that she couldn't tell anyone and had to be alone.

Getting up from the bed, Yuzu walked over to her bag and pulled out a fluffy pink sketchbook. Opening it, she flicked for a couple of pages before she smiled brightly and handed the book to Harumi as she sat back down on the bed. After several moments of looking Harumi's jaw dropped and her eyes shot up to Yuzu.

"Are these what I think they are?" Her tone rushed, Harumi seemed to shuffle closer to Yuzu. "Well, that depends what you think they are." Yuzu smiled, a hint of playfulness in her voice.

"...Engagement rings?" Harumi asked as her eyes flicked back and forth between the pages of sketches and the cheesing blonde next to her.

Yuzu had a nervous grin on her face but her eyes were sparkling, "What do you think?" Yuzu asked while nodding her head, feeling like she needed Harumi's approval for this.

"This is amazing Yuzu!" Almost squealing in delight, Harumi wrapped Yuzu up in a tight hug, her excitement getting the better of her.

"You think it's a good idea?" Yuzu smiled as she pulled back from the hug, happy that her best friend seemed to support her. "Hey, it's not my decision, if you think you want to marry her then go right ahead, just be sure she will say yes. Are these the rings you were looking at, cuz these are all beautiful." Now smiling brightly, Harumi went back to looking over the many options of rings.

"I'm like eighty per cent sure she will say yes." With a chuckle, Yuzu sat up next to Harumi so they could look at the book together.

"These are designs that I've been drawing up since last week, I kinda want to have it specially made so that there won't be a single ring like it in the world. So, I thought I'd draw up some design and then we could go through them and pick the best one. I have an appointment later today at the jewellers, I'm taking the final sketch in and they are going to get a proper sketch artist guy to draw it out, then they are going to give me a price." Yuzu's voice was full of happiness as she browsed the page, there were some that she really liked and some that she only liked parts of, but that was why she was here with Harumi.

"Yuzu I don't mean to put a downer on your plans or anything, but going off your drawings this ring is gonna be hella expensive, honestly each one has multiple diamonds. How are you gonna afford this?" Her features softening in sympathy, the auburn-haired girl smiled to the blonde suddenly feeling she was being a little too ambitious.

"I know it's going to be super expensive but I only want to give Mei the best. I got a trial day for a waitressing gig at an Indian restaurant not far from our house if all goes well I'll be earing almost two-fifty a week, but that's working thirty hours a week but they said if I want long hours I should be able to get them."

A shocked expression overcame the darker haired girl as she listened to the blonde. "Yuzu thirty hours a week is ridiculous, you still have school to think about. You are going to be absolutely exhausted. How did you get Mei to agree to that? In no universe can I see Mei letting you work thirty hours a week plus school plus extra study time." Looking at her friend Harumi still flicked through the pages of the sketchbook, there seemed to be a never-ending amount of them, she suspected that the blonde must have spent hours drawing these.

"Well... I actually got the job before I told Mei about it, that way she couldn't say no. She wasn't even mad, she was just upset that I didn't talk to her about it, but she did say that if my grades drop even slightly I have to quit which is understandable... So what do you think?" With a smile, Yuzu waited as she watched Harumi think as she eyed several of the drawings.

"Well, as long as I get to be your maid of honour at the wedding I'm fine." With a grin that matched Yuzu's, Harumi flicked to the start of the sketches.

"How about we start picking out a ring?" Yuzu squealed, this made her so happy, Harumi nodded enthusiastically and pulled out a pencil.

The next few hours were spent with the two girls going through all of Yuzu's sketches, and just as it was nearing two they were finishing up on a final fresh sketch; a combination of several of the others, one that highlighted both the main diamond and the amethyst crystals on either side of it.

"Ahh Yuzu this is going to be so beautiful! What time is your appointment its almost two?" Tracing her fingers over the newly drawn sketch, Harumi waited for a reply.

"Crap is it that late already?! I'm supposed to be there at two thirty. I'm gonna have to leave soon." Sighing Yuzu looked at her phone to see the time, and sure enough, it was five to two.

"Hey I could come with you if you wanted, I have nothing to do this afternoon." Harumi smiled to Yuzu kind of hoping she would be able to see the real sketch that a professional took from their drawing. A smile appeared on Yuzu's face as fast as it had disappeared, "Really? That would be great, I was kinda nervous about going alone." Nodding to the girl who was getting up from the bed, Yuzu continued, "The place I booked is about a fifteen-minute drive from your house, so we have about ten minutes before we should start getting ready to leave." Taking the book and pencil from Harumi, Yuzu continued to add little details into her sketch. It was by no means a good sketch, Yuzu hardly ever drew but it was her best effort and with help from Harumi it was looking okay.

"Sure that's great, I can't wait to have a shot of your car!" Harumi smiled as she peered out her window to the sleek Audi that was in her drive. "You know you can't drive it though right? I'm pretty sure Mei would kill me if anything happened or if she even found out about it." Yuzu laughed as she saw the pout on her best friends face, "Yeah yeah I know, but I'll still get to be in it that's the main point." Moving her eyes from the car to the blonde Harumi smiled and walked towards her wardrobe, even though it was two in the afternoon she was still in her pyjamas.

"Well I need to get dressed then we can leave." Already stripping out of her clothes, Harumi searched her closet for something to wear. Yuzu, unfazed by her friend's actions, sat down at the desk and continued her work. Until a buzz came from her pocket, quickly fishing the smartphone from her trousers Yuzu smiled at the text.

'Why are we going out for dinner, and why did you wait till now to tell me? x' Yuzu smiled at the text from her girlfriend.

'Mei I sent that text at like half eleven this morning, you just haven't opened it till just now. And I'm taking you out to dinner because I want to, we haven't gone out for dinner in a while and I thought it would be a nice change and maybe it would cheer you up. xxx' Yuzu sent the text but she was unsure if she should have sent that last bit. What if Mei really was fine and Yuzu was just making her mad by insisting something was wrong, or was she actually upset and didn't want to let Yuzu know? Either way, Yuzu wanted Mei to be happy, and because she was unsure as to why her girlfriend's mood had changed so quickly she was at a loss and unsure how to fix it. So dinner and some quality time was her solution.

'I already told you I'm fine Yuzu. I'm almost at my lesson now so I will see you in a couple of hours.x' Yuzu received the text and couldn't help but notice how Mei had failed to respond to her mistaking the time of receiving the text from Yuzu. Putting the phone away, Yuzu glanced over to Harumi. "Are you almost ready yet, it five past?" Although Yuzu asked this question she frowned when she saw her friend standing in her bra, still flicking through the coathangers of her wardrobe.

"Almost, you said we needed to leave in ten, give a girl some time to choose." Harumi laughed alongside Yuzu. Smiling Yuzu looked back to her book, the warmth in her core grew again.

It was thirty-five past when the two girls walked into the jewellers, apologetic smiles on their faces. "Hello, sorry I'm late. I had an appointment for half past for Yuzuko Aihara." Bowing to the middle-aged woman behind the counter Yuzu hoped they would still see her.

"Of course... It says here you wanted to get a sketch done and figure out a price and payment plan. Is that correct?" The woman read from her computer screen before she looked at Yuzu, a smile on her face.

"Uhh yeah, that's right." Nodding her head, Yuzu waited for the woman to continue before she said anything. She had no idea how this sort of thing worked, it felt awkward.

"If you would like to follow me we can discuss your design first, while we have a sketch being drawn up we can discuss your other questions." The woman smiled before gesturing to a desk with two seats.

Sitting the two down at the desk, the woman walked away and returned with another woman who looked like she was maybe the same age as Yuzu, perhaps several years older. _She's so young, will she even be able to draw something proper?_ Speaking to herself as she watched the two women approach her, Yuzu smiled when they sat at the table.

"It's great to meet you Yuzucchi, my name is Rio I'll be drawing the sketch for your engagement ring. Do you have a rough idea of what you want or are we starting from scratch?" Smiling the woman dipped her head and smiled to both the girls.

"Please the pleasure is mine, but you can just call me Yuzu and this is my friend Harumi. We actually already have a sketch drawn up, but we aren't the best drawers." After introducing herself and her friend, Yuzu handed over her sketchbook with it open on the page with the large sketch on it. The woman immediately smiled, "This is really helpful, It is really bothersome when someone comes in without a clue of what they are looking for." The younger woman said as she took the book from Yuzu and studied the picture intently.

"I see you have labelled the diagram, are you sure you are sticking silver-plated gold and amethyst?" The woman looked to Yuzu expectantly. "Yes, it has to have those. I'm not sure about the positioning of the actual diamonds though." Yuzu said sternly as she eyed her drawing. The woman only nodded and looked to Yuzu. "That fine, I can create a base sketch and we can switch up the positioning, size and amount of crystals. Going by your drawing the main crystal looks like a round cut diamond and it looks like a one point five or two carrot. If I make my sketches based on that size would that be okay for you?" The woman once again studied Yuzu's attempt at a sketch and picked out the detail she could.

"Yeah that was the size I was going for, and yes it's a round cut I don't want a princess cut if that's okay." Yuzu was feeling more comfortable and was starting to feel a little more confident. "Of course that's okay. Going off your sketch I will make one sketch that is the same as yours, I will also make a sketch that has the key features of yours and using some transparent paper I will be able to make several different designs that I can overlay onto the base ring for you to look at. This way you will be able to get a better grasp at what you could have and what you don't want. Is this okay?" Putting the book down on the table the woman looked towards Yuzu again, seeking approval before she got up to make her drawings.

Instantly nodding Yuzu smiled, "That would be great thank you." Nodding her head, the woman gestured to the book that was now on the table, "Would you mind if I took this with me for reference, I will only be in the back of the store where all my supplies are. I guarantee you will get it back unscathed." Already picking up the book, the young lady looked to Yuzu one last time and after receiving a nod she bowed and walked away.

"Okay, we usually give our sketch artists between thirty minutes to an hour and a half depending on how intricate the design is. Rio is our fastest sketcher so you shouldn't be waiting too long, for the moment we can't discuss a price until you have seen the sketches and settled on a final design, however, we can figure out your payment plan." The woman smiled towards both the girls, waiting for a response.

"Do you want me to wait over there while you talk about this Yuzucchi? I can just go and look at the jewellery if you want." Smiling Harumi looked to Yuzu, knowing what they were about to discuss wasn't really any of her business.

"No, it's fine Harumin You can stay." First smiling to her friend then back to the woman who was patiently waiting in front of her. "I'm not sure how much it is going to cost, but I was hoping I could make monthly instalments until I've paid it off." Regaining her nervousness Yuzu watched as the woman nodded in response.

"Absolutely. We can do that, although this way we do require a set amount to be paid each month. However, if you did decide to take out the contract today using this method of payment we do require a deposit of ten per cent. Alternatively, today you could choose a ring, or one of the sketches Rio comes back with and we can give you a quote. After you have the money you can come back in with the sketch and pay the whole thing at once, the ring can take between six to eight weeks to be made so you would have to wait a little while before receiving it." When she was finished, she smiled and waited for Yuzu to speak.

"I think I would like to stick to paying monthly, otherwise I'll spend my money before I buy the ring." At the statement, all three laughed until the woman spoke again.

"So if you make your purchase today, you will pay ten per cent of the total cost of the ring then the remainder will be paid in set amounts over a designated number of months. These payments can be direct debit or if it suits you better you can make a cash payment in the store. Once the ring has been made you can come into the shop and inspect it, make any changes or ask any queries you have. You will be able to take the ring home when it is completely paid off, do you understand?" The woman smiled to Yuzu who was listening closely on what was being said to her.

"Yes, I understand. I think cash payments would suit me better." Smiling Yuzu felt butterflies in her stomach, whether it was because she was nervous or excited she didn't know but she could feel herself brimming with happiness. She was about to buy an engagement ring, she was going to propose to Mei. It might be months away before that happened but the thought made her restless with excitement.

"There's not much else we can discuss until Rio has finished sketching and you have made a decision on the design, after that we will have a price and we can write up a contract. Until then you could either leave and we'll email or call you when she is finished or you can remain in the store. The choice is completely up to you however I don't know how long Rio might be." Smiling apologetically, the woman rose from her chair and waited for the girl to do the same.

"That's fine, we can go and grab a coffee or something, you can call me when she is finished." Smiling Yuzu bowed before exiting the shop with Harumi not far behind her.

Sitting down with her iced latte, Harumi looked to Yuzu. A concerned look was on the blonde's face, "What's up Yuzucchi?" Waiting for her answer, Harumi leaned in closer to the blonde who was mindlessly stirring her drink with her straw.

"Nothings up, I was just wondering if I'm gonna end up being late to pick Mei up. It's already half three and they haven't called, I'm supposed to pick Mei up from her lesson at four I don't really want to have to make her walk home alone after I said I'd pick her up. But at the same time, I can't leave until I have picked a design, I really want to get this all sorted out today." Sighing Yuzu took a sip of her drink.

"Hey c'mon Yuzucchi cheer up this is supposed to be a happy day for you. Listen I'm sure they will call any minute now and at the latest, you will be maybe five minutes late for picking Mei up." Her voice was full of cheer as she attempted to restore her friends earlier happiness. It seemed her wish was granted as before Yuzu could reply, her phone went off lighting up with the number of the jewellers.

"Hello, is this Miss Yuzucchi Aihara?... Yes, your sketches are ready you can come back whenever you would like... thank you, I'll see you soon." Smiling Yuzu jumped from her chair and walked out of the cafe, heading towards the store.

"See what'd I'd tell you." Boasting, Harumi laughed as she and the blonde walked back into the store where both the older woman and Rio were waiting patiently for them. Upon entering, Rio was the first one to talk as she gestured for the two to sit at their earlier table.

"I apologise for the long wait, I got a little carried away with the drawings however, I do believe that you will find at least one of the designs I drew to be satisfactory." Sitting down, she pulled out several pieces of paper from a sketchbook.

"This is my drawing of your sketch, I took what I could from it but I did have to use my imagination for some of it." Placing a piece of paper into of the two girls, Rio smiled, very happy with her work. She practically heard the blonde gasp. Her drawing was mainly graphite but she had taken the courtesy of painting in the amethyst crystals on either side of the main diamond in watercolour, highlighting them.

"Woah that's beautiful, how did you draw that in an hour!" Yuzu's raised voice caught the eye of several other employees, but her enthusiasm didn't falter.

"Thank you, I appreciate it. I also have several others." Smiling, the young woman took a small stack of papers out next. She placed a single sheet in front of the two, it was simple with only the silver band and the two-carat diamond in the centre.

"I took the main idea of your design but I made changes to different aspects of it, which we can switch out and change to give you a better look." The woman smiled as she shuffled through her pile of paper looking for a particular one. Yuzu wasn't quite sure what the woman was talking about, the picture in front of her, although it was beautiful, didn't exactly scream 'pick me' for her.

Finally finding the piece she was looking for the woman pulled out a piece of paper that had several purple shapes on the seethrough page, Yuzu assumed it was watercolour like the previous one. Placing the sheet on top of the other, the woman aligned them and took her hands away, "Woah," was all Yuzu managed to say. The simple ring from before now had two amethyst crystals either side of the diamond, the second amethyst crystal on either side was slightly smaller than the one closest to the main diamond.

Fishing out a second overlay, the woman placed it down. This time, several smaller diamonds were added around the base of the larger one. After the blonde had finished gushing over this adjustment, Rio added a final sheet of paper, this time diamonds so small Yuzu could only imagine the handy work used to get them into place were added to create an outline around the amethyst crystals.

"This is where I personally like the design, however, I do have several other designs I can show you but some, including myself, believe it makes the ring look a little too cluttered." Pinning another sheet on top of the previous, two semicircles of diamonds not quite as small as the ones lining the crystals were added to the outer of the diamonds around the centre one. This added a little bulk to the ring but Yuzu thought it made it all a little too busy.

"I think I prefer it without those added on. I really like this design, I don't think I want any other changes. Completely forgetting about the design she had made up, Yuzu's eyes sparkled as she looked at the potential ring in front of her. Her heart beat for some reason had elevated and the warmth in her heart had resonated through her entire body.

"Are you sure, I have several other things we could try on it before settling on anything?" The woman looked at Yuzu, not wanting the young lady to rush her choice but her comment went unheard as she watched Yuzu trace the ring. "I'm sure, I want this one." Her statement was strong and resolute.

"Well then, if you are set on this one, allow me five minutes to write up a sheet of all expenses for you. Then we can get your payment plan sorted out." Smiling the woman turned to her consultant and nodded before looking back to the girls. "If you would mind browsing the store for several minutes while I write this up.

Yuzu immediately nodded, getting up and giving the woman a bow before walking away.

"Crap Harumi, it's quarter to, I'm definitely gonna be late. Maybe I should call Mei and tell her I'm gonna be late? I still need to drive you home before I pick her up, she's gonna be so mad." Her stomach churning, Yuzu pulled her phone from her pocket and found Mei's contact. Before she pressed call she stopped to look at Harumi who was laughing hard behind her. "What's so funny?" Yuzu raised her brow in question to her friend, not seeing the humour in her situation.

Finally catching her breath, Harumi looked to Yuzu her eyes dancing with amusement, 'You have Mei down as 'Cutie Patootie AKA Sungglebear...' Laughing again upon actually saying the name, Yuzu's cheeks reddened in embarrassment. "...Does Mei know you have her down as that?" The name still amusing her, Harumi decided to drag out the conversation by asking this question even if she pretty much knew the answer was no.

"Hey! I don't know what you are laughing at, it's cute. And I'll have you know that Mei does know," Yuzu tried to brush it off as nothing but her cheeks betrayed her. She thought the name was cute and it applied to her girlfriend, Mei was cute and she was her snuggle buddy. Yuzu should have had no reason to be embarrassed, but that didn't stop her from being so.

"Oh really? Does she love it, maybe she has you down as the same on her phone?"

Yuzu only rolled her eyes as she looked at some of the bracelets in the glass cabinet to distract herself. "I said she knew, not that she liked it. She made it very clear that she didn't want her name to be that, and sadly I'm just 'Yuzu' on her phone." Feeling self-pitiful, Yuzu sulked for a moment while Harumi was sent into another fit of laughter.

"Anyways I'm gonna call her and tell I won't be able to pick her up." Yuzu went to call Mei for the second time but she was once again stopped by her friend. "Hey don't do that. I'll just get Matsuri to meet me, she only lives like fifteen minutes from here. I can even meet her down the street so she doesn't know where we were." Smiling, Harumi took out her own phone to call her girlfriend.

"Just call up 'Cutie Patootie' and tell her you will be a little late," Smiling smugly Harumi put her phone to her ear as she waited for her girlfriend to pick up.

Similarly, Yuzu put the phone to her ear, she nodded thanks to Harumi before walking a few feet away. After a few rings the phone picked up and she was met with the icy voice of her partner.

"What do you want Yuzu? I'm in the middle of my lesson, do you know how rude I am being right now?" The tone made Yuzu shiver. _Crap I forgot she was still in her lesson._

"Oh shit, sorry Mei!" Her tone was rushed as me uttered her apology but it seemed to do no good as her reply was as harsh as her greeting.

"Watch your language Yuzu." So cold, her tone was so damn cold.

"Right sorry, I'm calling to let you know that I might be a little late picking you up. Only like five or ten minutes, would you mind waiting?" Yuzu was so nervous, Mei rarely used such cold tones with her, but Yuzu knew why she was talking to her like this.

"I don't really have a choice, do I? Goodbye Yuzu, I'll see you soon." And like that the call went dead, Mei not even giving the blonde time to wait until she hung up. Gulping down the saliva that had built up in her throat, Yuzu put her phone away as she turned back to Harumi who was just finishing up her call. Yuzu wished her's had ended as smoothly as her friends.

"Just get your ass over here and meet me... Bye, I love you too." Flipping the phone shut, Harumi looked to Yuzu a smile on her lips. "Matsuri said she will leave in the next five minutes, so you can just go straight to Mei... Going by your face I'm assuming that it didn't go well?" The smile fell from her lips as she walked closer to Yuzu.

"Yup, she's super pissed. Not so much at me being late but cuz I called her during her lesson, then I accidentally swore, but she said she would wait which is something." Yuzu gave her best attempt at a smile before looking back to the bracelets.

"I'm sure she'll be fine, c'mon you're about to buy this girl a ring, SMILE!" Harumi playfully pushed the blonde's shoulder and in response, she got the laugh she was looking for.

"Excuse me, ladies, you can come over now." The older woman approached the two and smiled as she motioned for the two to follow her.

Once all Yuzu and Harumi were seated, the woman handed Yuzu a sheet of paper, a short list of the materials followed by their individual price lined the page, at the bottom was the total price. Yuzu chocked.

The ring alone, without the centre diamond, was two grand itself, this was fine but when Yuzu saw the pricing for the options she had for the diamond she could have died right there. The one point five-carat was £10,000 and the two-carat was an astonishing £17,000. Yuzu knew she was going for the one-point-five diamond straight away.

The total price for the ring was coming in at £12,000. More than anything Yuzu had ever even thought about buying.

"Wow, that's a lot." Yuzu said the words before she realised what she had spoken.

The woman noticing the troubled expression on the blonde's face interjected her thinking by taking her pen and writing on the bottom of the white sheet. "If you would prefer a smaller diamond, the one carat is quite popular and is five thousand." The woman spoke calmly as she retracted her hand.

After several moments of silence, the worker spoke again, "You do not have to decide here if you would like to go through with this, you can take the quote away with you can come in another day. We can keep the drawing and I can get Rio to draw up your final decision as a proper drawing for you to get a better idea." The woman tried to ease the blonde who was clearly not expecting the price to be this high.

"Emm... No this is fine, I'll go with the one-point-five carat. I will pay the deposit today." Eyeing the sheet a final time, Yuzu looked up to the woman and gave a nervous smile.

With a smile the woman left to get the appropriate paperwork, as soon as she was out of earshot Yuzu felt a tug on her arm. "Yuzucchi I know you really want to get this started today, but are you sure you can afford this? The deposit for this ring is twelve hundred alone, maybe you should wait and think it over." Keeping her voice low, Harumi had concern in her eyes as she looked at Yuzu. The blonde although looked nervous, Harumi could see the determination in her eyes.

"I'm sure Harumi, I can afford the deposit and I have no doubt in my mind that I want this for Mei. It just means I'll be working a little longer than I thought." Smiling, Yuzu nodded to Harumi a comfort to the worried girl.

After what felt like a mountain of paperwork, Yuzu was walking out the store with what felt like an empty bank and a giddy smile.

"Alright Yuzucchi, I have to go Matsuri messaged me and said she is waiting for me. Tell Mei I said hi, and that she better appreciate your ass." Grinning to the blonde Harumi readied herself to walk away. Yuzu laughed as she hugged h\er friend goodbye, "Yeah yeah, I'll see you soon and remember not to let anything slip." Smiling Yuzu walked away towards her car.

It was already past four and Yuzu knew it was going to take her almost ten minutes to get to Mei's tutor's house. Just as she was about to get into the car a familiar voice made her turn around. Yuzu instantly smiled when her friend greeted her.

"Hey Yuzu, whatcha doing out here?" The smooth voice of Jasmin filled her ears as Yuzu walked towards the girl. "Oh I was just out with a friend, I was just about to head out though I'm late for picking Mei up." Yuzu smiled to the beauty in front of her, reminding herself that she didn't have the time for chit chat.

"Oh I see, don't let me keep you. Before you go can we take a photo for my Insta? I haven't uploaded in a while, and I need to look like I have lot's of friends, you know to keep the following." Smiling the girl pulled her phone out as Yuzu nodded, "Sure I don't mind, put a cute caption on it though, and make sure you get my good side." Smiling Yuzu moved closer to the taller girl, while Jasmin laced her arm over Yuzu's shoulders effectively pulling their heads closer.

"One, two, three.." The picture was taking and after putting the best filter on the shot, Jasmin looked to Yuzu "Okay thanks Yuzu, It was great seeing you again. I'll message you later as we planned. Bye!" Smiling brightly to the blonde Jasmin walked away and Yuzu instantly jumped into her car.

 _Got Mei is gonna be so mad, shit she'll have been waiting for fifteen minutes._

Cursing to herself, Yuzu buckled up and drove away. Today was supposed to be about making Mei feel better not making her wait outside for fifteen minutes alone. Driving being her main focus, Yuzu concentrated on getting to her destination as fast as she possibly could.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading I hope you liked it. Sorry for the delay over the past couple of weeks, this chapter was already into the 20,000s but I wasn't sure when I was gonna be able to finish it so I've split it up so you guys could have a chapter.**

 **Anyways let me know what you think ;)**


	26. Chapter 255

**So it's been a couple of weeks since I uploaded this story and I'm afraid to say that I am not sure when I will get the next chapter finished. I've finished both the start and end of the chapter, but I'm taking my time writing a certain scene so it might be a little longer.**

 **Like a couple of people asked or said they liked, the next chapter is going to a slightly longer one, but I didn't want to keep you guys waiting for too long so I thought I'd give you a teaser.**

 **This is one of the final lines of the next chapter, so you know what to look forward to. :)**

 **Thanks for reading.**

* * *

"Who is he?" Mei made clear eye contact with the blonde, and instead of her gaze being cold like Yuzu had expected it to be, it was broken. Not a shimmer of light resided in the amethyst eyes, and Yuzu felt her heart break.


	27. Suspicions

Mei sat patiently on the bench for the blonde, she wasn't mad that she was late she was only slightly annoyed that Yuzu had called her during her lesson. Not only was it embarrassing for Mei to have to pick up her phone in that situation but she thought it was very rude to have to excuse herself for no reason at all. It was now ten past four, Mei expected the blonde to be pulling up in front of her anytime soon but time slowly trickled past her and then it was quarter past.

 _I could have walked home by now, god where is she?_

Mei sighed as she took her phone out to call the blonde, but stopped when she saw a small notification on her screen from six minutes ago. She had been tagged in a post but Mei wasn't sure by who, the name didn't give a clue to who had tagged her. Curiosity winning, Mei slid open the notification to see the post but what she saw infuriated her. A picture of a stunning dark haired girl and a vibrant blonde covered Mei's screen, the two were practically brushing cheeks as they posed for the photo. Mei noticed the arm wrapped tightly around the blonde's small shoulders. Eventually looking down to the caption where her name was Mei scowled, 'My girl rushing away to _AiharaMei_. Miss her already x'

Six minutes ago this was posted, meaning the blonde had blown her off to spend time with the girl Mei extremely disliked. Mei immediately got up from the bench and started walking home, she wasn't going to wait any longer for the blonde to pick her up when she was purposely making herself late by talking to this girl.

 _'My girl' who does she think she is? Publically claiming Yuzu like that, god the fucking audacity._ Mei continued her fast pace as she thought to herself, she might not have spent a large amount of time on social media but she knew that the caption Jasmin had used was just a tactic of tagging her in the post. Guaranteeing that she would see it. Rubbing in her relationship with the blonde. Subtle hints that only Mei would take notice to. Make Mei know she was present in the blondes life whether she liked it or not.

Her tutor's house was about a fifteen-minute walk depending on how fast you walked, and Mei was making quick work of the journey. Mei's phone rang, and she looked down to see the blondes number. Quickly declining the call Mei opened her messages, not wanting to hear her voice at the moment.

'What?" The text even without any audible content was bitter as ever. A single word, no kiss and no explanation. Yuzu surely would get the message that she was mad.

'I'm outside your tutor's house but I don't see you, where are you? Also, why didn't you pick up the phone? xx' Mei got an instant reply from the blonde, who didn't quite seem interested in the fact that she was twenty minutes late and had spent her day with Jasmin.

'I started to walk home.' Again Mei gave the blunt reply as she seemed to speed up her walking, the blonde's casual tone fueling her current anger. _She can't just pick me up late because she wanted to ignore me for Jasmin then act like everything is alright._

'I'm sorry I'm late I lost track of time. Where are you now, I'll come and pick you up wherever you are? xx' Yuzu once again replied swiftly, hoping Mei would answer her properly. She hadn't failed to notice the lack of emotion in the girl's text messages.

Sighing Mei looked at her surroundings, she would be home herself in less than five minutes. 'No, I'm almost home myself it doesn't matter.'

'Oh okay, I guess I'll see you in a couple of minutes, I'll start driving home now. xx' Mei received the text as swiftly as the others, only this time there was a follow-up message. One Mei didn't know how to respond to and therefore didn't.

'I love you xxx' After staring at the message for several seconds, Mei turned her phone off and continued her march home.

* * *

Putting her phone down after almost two minutes of no reply, Yuzu frowned as she started up the engine and started to drive home. She didn't think her being late would have made Mei this mad, maybe she was still upset about whatever had bothered her this morning?

...

Stepping out of the car Yuzu walked towards their flat, and when she got to the door it was already open meaning Mei had beat her home. Walking in, Yuzu took her shoes off as she spoke cautiously into the house.

"Mei, I'm home." Peering into the house as she removed her outdoor clothes, Yuzu got no response from the silent apartment. Feeling a bit of uneasiness grow in her stomach, Yuzu slowly walked into the sitting room, but there was no sign of her girlfriend in either the kitchen or the living room.

Walking down the hall to their room, Yuzu opened the bedroom door and was finally graced with the presence of Mei. She had her back turned to the blonde, her head down as she was writing something at their desk. She didn't move an inch as Yuzu entered the room, her focus on the papers in front of her seemed to intensify as the blonde started talking.

"Mei, I'm home... Sorry for not picking you up when I promised I would, and for making you wait for so long outside. It won't happen again so you don't need to be mad at me anymore." Walking a few steps closer to the unmoved girl, Yuzu placed a hand on her shoulder hoping she would at least look at her. Mei, however, instantly shook the blonde's hand from her shoulder not wanting to talk to her or hear her excuses. Yuzu clearly wasn't expecting that reaction from the younger girl as she let a small gasp escape her lips. After taking several moments to value the situation, Yuzu spoke again.

"Mei are you okay? I said I was sorry what else do you want me to say?" Still, with no words from the younger girl, Yuzu was becoming more concerned. "Mei this isn't about me being late to pick you up is it, why are you so upset?" Not touching the girl this time, Yuzu gently took the pen from Mei's grasp and layed it down on the desk.

"I'm fine. Please leave me alone, I am trying to study." Mei reached for her pen going back to her work after she spoke. She didn't really want to express her jealousy to the blonde, sitting down doing school work seemed much more appealing.

Plonking herself down on the side of the desk Yuzu spoke again, still concerned for the way the younger girl was acting.

"No Mei, you just got in the house you are not studying you are avoiding me and I don't know why. You just got home from your lesson and you always like to sit down with a cup of tea and relax or something, not throw yourself into work. Meaning you are either super busy which can't be considering school only just started up, which just leave one thing; You are upset about something and are trying to take your mind off it, and your attitude towards me only points to me as the culprit for your mood. So, are you going to tell me what is bothering you so much that you won't even look at me?" Yuzu spoke confidently feeling as though she had made a good analysis of her girlfriend's actions, but even if she knew she was the cause she didn't actually know what she had done.

After a few moments, Mei put her pen down and turned to the blonde, meeting her gaze with narrowed eyes. "Where were you today?" Crossing her arms over her chest, Mei didn't try and keep the iciness from her tone.

"I already told you where I was today, I was with Harumin." Yuzu shuffled uncomfortably as Mei watched her with a cold gaze.

"You said just this morning that you were meeting up with Catty, what happened to that?" Mei didn't like being lied to, she knew the blonde was lying as she had seen Jasmin's post.

"Well you know I went to Harumi's this morning, and I kinda just wanted to stay and hang out with her. So I ended up not meeting with Catty, I was just running late and lost track of time when I was supposed to pick you up."

"Liar," Was all Mei said, as she turned back to her paperwork. If the blonde wasn't going to tell her the truth about who she had been with she didn't want to talk to her at all.

It had occurred to Mei that she was only acting this way because of who the blonde had spent her day with. If it was anybody else she wouldn't have cared, it wasn't uncommon for the blonde to forget about the time and be late for something, Mei was only acting sour about it because it was Jasmin that Yuzu was with.

"What do you mean 'Liar'? I haven't done anything!" Yuzu immediately went into defence mode as she furrowed her brow at Mei. She had spent her entire day with her best friend, Harumi could vouge for her.

"If you aren't going to tell me the truth, then I won't waste my breath arguing with you. I'm studying, please leave me alone." Picking up her pen, Mei gave the blonde a scowl before completely turning away from her.

Yuzu, however, wasn't following Mei at all, and she didn't like being accused of lying. Given she had lied a little but not about what Mei was saying. She couldn't tell Mei where she had been but she had been with Harumi all day.

"What the hell are you talking about Mei? I'm not lying so stop saying I am!" Standing from the desk, Yuzu made a show of stomping her feet as she landed.

Upon hearing Yuzu raise her voice, Mei turned around not appreciating the attitude she was getting.

"If you aren't lying prove it, because my evidence states otherwise." Still, with a cool demeanour, Mei continued to scowl at the older girl who at the moment looked as though she could have had steam coming from her ears. Shoving her hand into her pocket, Yuzu pulled out her phone and after a moment of flicking through her contacts pressed a call button and handed the phone to Mei.

"You want proof, here! Call Harumin and ask her whatever you like. I'm not lying I have been with her all day, so whatever 'evidence' you have that shows I was with someone else isn't true!" Yuzu, who wanted to keep her cool, stepped back from Mei as she held the phone to her ear. This day was supposed to be special for Yuzu, she had planned to come home to a happy Mei and take her out for dinner to try and cheer her up, and yet here she was proving her innocence to the younger girl about who she had spent the day with. Yuzu didn't even know why Mei was making such a big deal about it, she never normally cared about who Yuzu saw. Why today was any different Yuzu didn't know.

After several rings, Yuzu watched as Mei took the phone from her ear and hung up. "What are you doing? Call her back, I'm telling the truth and I can prove it." Yuzu's voice was still ever so slightly raised as she stepped forward to call her friend again, Mei passed the phone back without hesitation. "No Yuzu, don't bother. I believe you so just forget about it." Mei turned back to the desk and started writing straight away. How could Yuzu be telling the truth? She had seen the post that was directed at her, Yuzu had been with Jasmin today so why the blonde thought it was necessary to cover up her tracks was beyond Mei. And yet even though these thoughts went through Mei's mind she couldn't help but feel like Yuzu was telling the truth.

"Ehhh no, I don't think so." Taking the back of the chair in her hands, Yuzu turned it around so Mei was once again facing her. "What was this evidence you were talking about earlier?" Not moving her hands so the younger could just turn away from her again, Yuzu waited for her response. It was obvious that Mei was still upset, and Yuzu wanted answers. Yuzu looked straight into her girlfriend's eyes and when she did her gaze softened, she could see hurt and confusion in the purple orbs. Removing one of her hands from the top of Mei's chair, Yuzu lowered it to Mei's shoulder, "Mei please don't just push me away like this. If you think something is going on talk to me about it don't just ignore me. What was the evidence you spoke about earlier? Just let me see it, it is probably just a mistake that I can explain... please Mei."

"No, it doesn't matter, I am just being ridiculous." Mei's voice was almost a whisper as she looked away from Yuzu to the floor, she could honestly say she felt a little bit foolish at the moment. The blonde's voice was full of sincerity as she spoke, not a hint of impurity and yet Mei still had this doubt in her chest from the picture she had seen not twenty minutes ago. After several seconds her chin was lightly grasped and tilted to meet Yuzu's eye level.

 _God those damn eyes, so beautiful... she's not lying._

Mei held Yuzu's gaze for nearly a minute before she looked away, knowing her girlfriend wasn't going to do anything except wait for her to say something. Slowly looking back to Yuzu, Mei spoke quietly, suddenly the evidence she had seemed so insignificant in contrast to Yuzu's pure eyes. "I saw a photo of you with Jasmin..." Trailing off into an almost inaudible whisper, Mei couldn't find the courage to keep looking Yuzu in the eye.

Seconds after looking at the floor Mei's head shot up at the sound of her girlfriend's laughter. She didn't say anything as she sat in her chair, only scowled at the girl who was now several feet away from her. "Mei I did spend my day with Harumi, but when I was in the parking lot on my way to get you I saw Jasmin. We spoke for literally less than a minute, she asked if she could take a photo for her Instagram and I said yes, that was it. After that, I drove straight to your tutor's house." Yuzu smiled to Mei, and when she saw realisation hit the younger girl Yuzu couldn't help a small chuckle escape her lips.

"Really?" Mei was so quiet and nervous when she spoke it almost hurt the blonde. Taking Mei's hands in her own, Yuzu crouched down to Mei's level and placed a kiss on her cheek. "Really. I wasn't lying earlier, I didn't spend my day with Jasmin I saw her for less than a minute before we went our separate ways." Yuzu gave an honest smile as she watched Mei melt into her palm on her cheek.

"Okay?" Yuzu waited again, Mei after placing her hand over the one on her cheek spoke. "Okay... I'm sorry."

Furrowing her brow, Yuzu ran her thumb soothingly along Mei's cheek hoping the action would take some of the stress from her partners face. "Why are you apologising? You don't need to, I get it you thought I was lying and it's completely understandable. So let's just leave it at that okay? No more apologising." Smiling softly Yuzu pecked the tip of Mei's now red nose in a playful manner before waiting for a reply.

She got a nod of the head before Mei pulled her in for a hug, she action was as much a surprise to Mei as Yuzu. Mei, even though she hadn't planned on it, held the blonde tightly in her arms. While her head was in the joint of Yuzu's neck, Mei couldn't help but feel guilty. Her voice lower than a whisper, she spoke again "I'm so sorry Yuzu." When she spoke she felt Yuzu grip her tighter, her hand rubbing her back slowly.

After several minutes Yuzu pulled back to look at Mei, her hand once again rested on the youngers cheek. "I'm still taking you out to dinner so I'm going to go and shower. I'll be twenty minutes, just relax and chill out okay." Yuzu's eyes were soft as ever as she leaned in to kiss the soft lips in front of her. Moments passed and soon the blissful moment was over. Standing, Yuzu grabbed some clothes and walked out of the room leaving Mei with a caring smile.

Yuzu walked back into their bedroom as she dried her hair, her earlier feeling of fulfilment and happiness once again resided in her. Striding into the bedroom, Yuzu scanned the room for Mei but to her surprise and slight disappointment, the younger girl was not there. Turning, Yuzu ventured down the hall to the lounge where she assumed her girlfriend would be relaxing on the couch as she instructed.

"Mei, where are you?" Her voice was cheery as ever, and as she peered over the couch she was once again disappointed to find that Mei was once again not there. Her head instantly flicked towards the kitchen where she was finally met with Mei pouring herself a cup of tea. Smiling brightly, Yuzu started walking towards the younger girl.

"I'm right here, if you looked before you spoke you would know that." Mei gave the somewhat bitter remark as she took her tea and leaned against the countertop, after a few seconds of watching Yuzu's bewildered expression Mei smiled.

"I know I said to chill, but it's almost five are you sure you are going to have time to drink that and still get ready? I don't want us having dinner too late." Yuzu after figuring out that Mei was playing with her, leaned against the countertop adjacent to Mei.

"I don't want to go out." Mei stood with her cup in her hand as she casually declined the blonde. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate the gesture, but it had been a long day for her and with all the crap with Jasmin and her feeling being pulled about like a ragdoll, all Mei wanted was to sit down and not have a care in the world. Yuzu's brow instantly creased, her arms folding across her chest as she looked at Mei.

"What why not? I told you earlier not to make any plans." Mei, however, didn't even flinch at her pouting girlfriend.

"I don't have plans I just don't want to leave the house. It's been a really long day and I just want to sit in my pyjamas and relax, not care about looking presentable for other people. I understand that you wanted to take me out to dinner even if I'm not sure of your motives, but I really don't think I have the energy for it." Mei spoke calmly as she sipped on her tea and watched Yuzu's mock hurt expression soften. Nodding to Mei, Yuzu wrapped the towel around her neck as she walked over to the cupboards, and after looking for a moment turned to Mei.

"Okay, that's totally okay. What do you want me to make you for dinner then, we have pasta, noodles, rice, lots of veggies oh I could make you-" Yuzu's rambling was quickly put a stop to as Mei cut her off, the interruption that Yuzu got surprising her enough that she had to take a moment to go over in her mind that she had heard right.

"No, don't worry about cooking I order a bunch of takeout for dinner. I wasn't quite sure what you would want and I didn't know how hungry you were, not that it is ever 'not that hungry', so I ordered your favourite from the Japanese, the Chinese and Dominos. I got myself something as well. I ordered them all for six, so they should be here at roughly the same time... I hope you don't mind." Mei although was quite confident that Yuzu wouldn't mind the trade, couldn't hide the nervousness in her voice.

"Really?! You bought a takeaway?" Yuzu couldn't help the astonishment in her voice and on her face, Mei was against getting takeaway eighty per cent of the time, and now she was saying she had ordered takeout from three different places all in one night. Yuzu could have died happy.

"Of course that's okay Mei, I am super hungry so this is perfect!" Yuzu made her way across to Mei a mixture of skipping and jumping. When she reached the younger girl, Yuzu placed both hands on her cheeks and lightly pulled Mei's face towards her own giving her a mushy kiss on the lips. When she pulled back Yuzu made a 'Mwah' sound and grinned at Mei who had a pink tinge on her cheeks.

"Was that necessary Yuzu?" Mei in a bland tone wiped her lips with the back of her hand. Secretly hoping to wipe the blush from her face at the same time.

Yuzu didn't respond to Mei's reply, she leaned back against the countertop and smiled to the dark-haired girl.

"What made you want to order food instead of making something? I mean I'm really glad you did, but why?"

After staying silent for several seconds, Mei took several sips of her tea as she tried to prolong the silence. Though it didn't last long as the blonde's gaze still lingered on Mei even after two minutes of deafening silence.

"Well... I was tired and I didn't want to cook, and I didn't think it was fair to make you cook dinner when you were the one that wanted to go out." As she finished, Mei brought her tea to her lips and watched the floor when she eventually looked back she saw Yuzu still looking at her with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. "... and I felt bad about jumping down your throat earlier, I didn't mean to accuse you of anything but I just thought that the picture meant that you had spent your entire day with her. And the caption she put on it was clearly a dig at me so I would react." Realising she was diverting, Mei stopped short before Yuzu started asking questions.

"Anyways, it is just my way of apologising." As she said this, Mei started walking towards the living room where she placed her tea on the coffee table before making her way towards their bedroom. Returning later with a book in her hand and a neutral expression, she sat on the couch and picked her cup back up. Yuzu was still standing in the kitchen, watching how Mei tried to escape the conversation.

 _If Mei has ordered all this food and just wants to stay in we could have a proper movie night, but what would she want to watch oooh and we need ice cream. Maybe she would watch Harry Potter there are loads of those movies if we started watching them now we might be able to get through most of them before we fall asleep._

Walking over to where Mei was sitting, Yuzu reached out and plucked the book from Mei's hand. Smiling down to the piercing glare she received. "Give me my book back Yuzu, that was uncalled for." The huge lack of emotion in the youngers voice almost put Yuzu on edge, she was now significantly less sure Mei would agree to this. Gently closing the book Yuzu placed it down beside Mei on the couch.

"Actually I wanted to ask if you wanted to have a real movie night tonight. I mean you have ordered a ton of food, you said yourself that you just want to laze about and I can run to the shop and get some ice cream and cookies just so it's official... and it means we can cuddle a little on the couch." Yuzu gave a nervous smile to the raven-haired girl as she shuffled on her feet. She watched for several seconds as she waited for Mei to say something and eventually she did.

"I suppose that doesn't sound that bad, but what do you mean a real movie night is that not the same as any other night we watch a movie?" Mei now losing interest in her book, gave her full attention to the now beaming blonde. She might not have completely understood what the older girl had meant by 'real movie' night, but after her feelings having been pulled a little too much today Mei was secretly craving the blonde's company. She wanted to hear the constant laughter and the subtle flirts not that she would say that to Yuzu. Things were cleared up between the two and yet Mei still felt a little tight in her chest when she thought about a certain person, who no matter how hard she tried kept popping into her head. Now all she wanted was to make herself feel better by spending time with her girlfriend.

"Well it's a little different cuz were gonna have a movie marathon. We pick a series and binge watch them all, I didn't know what you would want to watch and the only thing that really came to mind was Harry Potter but I'm not quite sure if you would want to watch that." Yuzu said happily as she watched the younger girl looking at her contently from the couch. The answer the blonde got surprised the blonde but at the same time, she should have suspected it.

Mei gave Yuzu a nod, "I am familiar with that series, I have read all of the books. If you want to watch the movies tonight I don't mind, I kind of liked the books so I might like it." Mei, after she had finished, smiled to Yuzu and gestured for her to sit down and start watching the movies, however, she only got a laugh and a shake of her head in response.

"Mei we can't just sit down and watch it like this, we have to prepare. So to begin with I am going to the shop to buy some stuff, I'll be back in say twenty minutes. Until then you can continue reading your book or something." Yuzu smiled to Mei as she was making a list of all the food she was about to buy, knowing that Mei probably wouldn't want to eat it late at night but she was going to buy it anyway.

"No wait, I'll come with you." Mei quickly got from the couch and started walking to their bedroom to get changed, she was quickly followed by the blonde who didn't make any sounds of rejection at the girls offer.

After the pair changed into outfits that were slightly more presentable, they left the apartment and started their journey to the store. To Yuzu's surprise, Mei held a tight grasp on her hand the entire way there. When they entered the store she still failed to release her grip, and although Yuzu liked holding her girlfriend's hand she could feel Mei's grip tighten every time they passed by someone who was attractive. Yuzu knew that Mei wasn't intentionally gripping her hand tighter every time this happened and that fact alone made the blonde wary.

 _She has a sad look on her face whenever we walk past fit people, it's the same look she had earlier when we were talking when she was about to cry... Does this have something to do with_ _Jasmin?_ Yuzu wondered as she observed her girlfriend's expressions and actions on their trip to the store.

"Okay Mei, what flavour of ice cream do you want? I'm getting this caramel and chocolate one, you?" Yuzu smiled, sounding cheerful as she tried to make her clearly distracted girlfriend happier. After browsing the shelves for several seconds, Mei eyed the thousands of combinations of ice cream before she spoke. "I think I will just get vanilla." Opening the freezer she took out both her vanilla and handed Yuzu her choice, still not releasing the blonde's hand.

"What else do you want to get Yuzu?" Mei looked to the blonde with a slightly bland expression, but that wasn't uncommon for the younger girl. Yuzu lightly swung their hands back and forth and she lead Mei around the store.

"We can buy some cookies so we can eat them with the ice cream, and we can get anything you want as well. Tonight calories don't count!" Yuzu said proudly as the slowly managed to pick up several packets of cookies between her fingers and looked to Mei who was lightly shaking her head at the amount of sugar the blonde had in her hand at the moment.

"No, I don't want anything I believe what you have picked up will be more than enough for us." Mei sighed as she watched the blonde look slightly disappointed for a moment, before piping up with yet another idea.

"Ohh I know we need to get some crisps." Briskly walking around the aisles, Yuzu stopped in front of a large variety of flavoured chips. "I think we should just go classic with salty crips, is that okay for you?" Glancing to Mei Yuzu was already trying to pick up the large back with her pinky finger but was failing miserably.

"Yes, let me get those." Reaching her hand forwards Mei picked up the bag with her fingers while the blonde gave her a grateful smile, "I think we have enough now Yuzu after all we have also got takeout coming as well, I'm sure this is going to be more than sufficient for the two of us to watch a couple of movies." Mei stated as she started to lead the blonde towards the check out before anything else popped into her mind.

The two paying for their items and exiting the shop with Yuzu holding the bag in one hand while Mei held her other. "I think you are really gonna like tonight Mei," Yuzu started a casual conversation as she and Mei walked back towards their apartment, she wanted to get her talking before asking what was bothering the younger girl.

"I have never had a 'real movie night' before so I wouldn't know, however, I like spending time with you so I most likely will like it," Mei spoke calmly as she answered the blonde, honestly not knowing why Yuzu was making such a big deal about.

Yuzu smiled at Mei, there was a cool breeze tonight as they walked home, and Yuzu could feel Mei shivering slightly. Mei claimed that since they were only going to the store she wouldn't need a scarf or anything and was currently just wearing a t-shirt and a long skirt. Stopping, Yuzu let go off Mei's hand for the first time and put the bag on the floor.

"Yuzu what are you doing?" Mei looked at Yuzu confused as to why she stopped, her eyes widening slightly when she saw the blonde take her scarf off and carefully wrap it around her neck. The warm feeling engulfing her neck and made her entire body warm. When she breathed in she could smell Yuzu on the deep blue scarf, the smell that made Mei smile. Yuzu picked up her bag and retook Mei's hand in her own as she started walking again and to her surprise (again) Mei didn't make any complaints or reject her offer.

"... Thank you." A light blush was on Mei's cheek as she held onto the scarf with one hand and watched her feet as she walked.

"No problem, that's what I'm here for!" Yuzu smiled as she leaned over and placed a peck to Mei's reddening cheek.

When the pair entered the apartment again it was nearly half five, the food would be arriving soon and Yuzu wanted to get the living room set up before any of it arrived. When they entered Yuzu asked Mei to put the ice cream in the freezer and to get changed into her jammies while she dealt with the living room.

Slipping her shoes and jacket off, Yuzu made her way to the living room where she completely cleared the coffee table and pulled it closer towards the couch. The now bare wood would soon be covered with all the takeaways Mei had bought along with the food Yuzu just had.

When Mei came through minutes later dressed in shorts and a baggy shirt, she cocked her head slightly to the blonde, asking what she was doing.

"Well Mei, If we are sitting on the couch we are going to need to be able to reach all the food at once, so we are going to put it all on the coffee table and when we're done with that we can get the ice cream and cookies out later, this way we don't have to keep moving about or anything." As Yuzu said this she was walking around the couch to meet the younger girl, when she met her she slipped her hands around the slim waist. Almost waddling the girl towards her, Yuzu grinned when Mei finally brushed against her body.

Raising one of her hands from the youngers waist to her shoulder, Yuzu moved the oversized material to reveal the snow white shoulder and neck. The sight alone gave Yuzu butterflies. Bringing her lips to the pale skin, Yuzu placed several soft kisses to the clear skin, she heard the younger gasp slightly at the unannounced contact. Her fingers traced the length of Mei's arm as she worked her kisses towards the girl's neck.

"Y-Yuzu what are you doing?" Mei's hands had found their way to the blonde's hips, her breath hitched in her throat as Yuzu gave a light suck to it. However, she took a clear gasp of air as a peachy warm hand slipped under her shirt and caressed Mei's stomach and hip. Deciding it too early to get carried away, Yuzu stopped her sucking on the neck and left a few more warm kisses to Mei's shoulder before pulling her head back to look at a red-faced Mei.

"What are you talking about Mei? I was just saying hello." Yuzu gave a cheeky grin as she watched a small smirk pull at the corner of Mei's mouth. "Okay, you can go and sit down on the couch I'm gonna go and get changed and bring a blanket through for us." Yuzu instructed with a smile before giving the recovering girl a kiss to the lips and heading towards their bedroom to get changed.

Mei watched with wide eyes as Yuzu came back through dressed in a plain tank top and some three-quarter joggers hauling their double quilt down the hall towards the living room. When Yuzu reached the couch and was standing behind where Mei was sitting she dropped the curled up duvet over the young girl and watched as she completely disappeared under the poofy white sheet. Mere seconds later a small head and set of hand popped up above the mass of white and looked straight to Yuzu with amused eyes. Yuzu laughed and looked back at Mei before she leaned over the couch and placed another kiss to the irresistible pink lips in front of her.

"Hello, my love." Yuzu said quietly as she broke the kiss and rose so she could meet Mei's eyes with her own. "Hello Yuzu." Mei gave the reply back as her ears seemed to redden at the nickname. Yuzu held the warm gaze for several seconds before she could no longer contain her giggle and laughed as she walked around the sofa to sit beside Mei, flattening the still fluffy quilt.

"Food should be here in the next ten minutes so I'm going to make our drinks just now, what do you want?" Yuzu asked as she looked at Mei, her eyes warm.

"Just water is fine, thank you. You know I could just get it myself you don't have to do it for me." Mei gave Yuzu a slight smile as she shuffled into a better position still with their duvet on her. Yet despite her protests, Yuzu shook her head and stood from the couch. "Absolutely not, I'll get your water, and you can just sit here and look pretty. I'll bring the cutlery and stuff over as well, what you can do is find the movies on the TV. You are probably going to have to rent them but just put it on my card, the order of the movies is on google so you are going to have to search for that okay." Smiling and laying another peck to Mei's cheek, Yuzu walked away to the kitchen and started to prepare the two drinks.

When she returned Mei had downloaded two of the movies and was waiting for Yuzu, placing both glasses of water down Yuzu grinned at the sound of the doorbell. "Hmm, which one do you think it is? I bet it's the Chinese, you?" Yuzu grinned to Mei who looked back to her with a smirk of her own, "Dominos, what's the wager?" Mei replied fast knowing they had to be quick. "If I win I get to take a selfie kissing you on the cheek, and you have to smile!" Yuzu grinned to Mei who playfully narrowed her eyes, "and if I win you are not allowed on your phone for an entire day." Mei challenged as she watched Yuzu backing towards the door, a confident smile on her face.

When she got their Yuzu heard the bell go again just as she was opening it. The man standing at the door had a tied white plastic bag in his hand.

"Ahahaha Yeess!" Mei sighed as she heard the squeal come from the front door. Her head flopped back onto the cushions as she waited for the boasting blonde to come back inside. She lifted her head at the sound of cheerful skipping coming towards her.

"Haha I won Mei, you owe me one picture." Yuzu grinned as she made her way to the table where she started to unpack the boxes of food onto the table.

"I know you said you order several things for me Mei but this alone is enough to feed us, how much did you order from the other places?" Yuzu turned and looked to Mei who shrugged her shoulders. " I ordered the same amount from the Japanese restaurant: your favourite soup, the spicy ramen thing, veg sides and rice for you. From Dominos I got a pepperoni and vegetable pizza without mushrooms and those chicken strips you like with chips and I made sure to ask for extra ketchup like you always do." Mei said nonchalantly as she recited the memorised list to Yuzu, who's jaw was dropping.

Before long a grin made its way onto the elders face as she moved onto the couch and sat on top of Mei, straddling her thighs. "You know just what makes me happy." Yuzu purred softly into Mei's ear, her arms resting on Mei's shoulders. When she pulled back Mei had a small smile on her lips alongside a subtle blush, Yuzu could see no sign of her earlier sadness, that was what Yuzu had been looking for. Reaching her hand out to cup the blonde's pink-tinged cheek, Mei smiled and kissed her softly. "I would hope I know. Though it says a lot about you that me ordering too much takeaway is all it takes to make you smile or to be happy." Mei said with a raised eyebrow and a smirk as she pulled her head back from Yuzu.

"Hey, that's not true. Food makes me happy, but it's you that makes me smile. Now eating food with you makes me the happiest person alive!" Yuzu defended herself as she leaned into Mei and connected their lips once again. She felt Mei lean into the kiss, and release several pleasant moans before Yuzu pulled back. The doorbell once again sounding through the house. A disappointed look appeared on Mei's face at the premature end to the kiss, but she knew they couldn't just let the delivery man wait outside. As Yuzu slipped down from Mei's legs and was walking back to the door she looked to Mei.

"I'm calling Japanese this time. If I win, you have to give me a kiss on the cheek for a photo, is your wager the same?" Yuzu gave a toothy grin to Mei as she waited for her reply, "I'm upping it to two days." Mei gave Yuzu a slightly stern stare as Yuzu made her way towards the door.

This time Mei just heard a hearty laugh come from the door, and she knew she had lost again. She couldn't even be frustrated, Yuzu's wager wasn't something Mei really didn't want to do. When Yuzu came back over she gave a short enthusiastic victory dance after she placed the brown back down on the table.

Several minutes later Yuzu left the living room for the final time, she made her way to the door and opened it to reveal a pizza box and a couple of boxes on top. After thanking the man, Yuzu came back to the lounge after stopping off at the kitchen to pick up two plates.

"Okay, let's set this table up. Then we can fill our plates, dim the lights and start." Yuzu grinned brightly as she started opening and arranging the food on the table. Mei watched contently as her girlfriend happily organise the food, why this scene made Mei so happy she didn't know. Just being with the blonde making happy chatter as they showed small signs of affection to one another filled Mei with seemingly never-ending warmth.

After the table was set Yuzu turned the main light off and put a lamp on, giving the room soft lighting. Yuzu thought it was better to have the lighting like this, not only did it feel better watching a movie in a dimly lit room but she felt it was slightly more romantic than before. She wasn't going out of her way to make tonight romantic but she knew that Mei was or at least had been feeling down today and she only knew one factor, so she wanted to make Mei feel as comfortable and loved as possible tonight.

Sitting down next to Mei under the covers, their crossed legs brushing against each other. Patting down the blanket Yuzu leaned forwards and pulled the table up close to the couch allowing them to grab food without having to move, and after filling her plate up and Mei doing the same they pressed play and began their perfect movie night.

A little more than halfway through the first movie Yuzu was putting her plate down on the table while rubbing her stomach with her hand. Flopping her head back into the headrest, Yuzu let out a groan as she got Mei's attention.

"Ahh, I ate way too much" Yuzu gave a pitiful chuckle as she rubbed her full belly. Mei watched with a small smile, she had stopped eating a while ago and had advised Yuzu not to eat too much.

"I did tell you not to try and eat the pizza after everything else you ate, this is your own fault," Mei said as she watched Yuzu still trying to soothe her stomach. "Hey I didn't want to waste anything and the pizza was so nice, totally worth it." Grinning brightly to Mei, Yuzu reached forward and cleared all the pots and boxes to the back of the coffee table before she sat back. Shuffling up close to Mei, Yuzu stretched out her legs and rested her feet in on the table and motioned for Mei to uncross her legs and do the same. When the younger girl reluctantly complied, Yuzu used the extra space between them to move even closer to Mei and tangled their outstretched legs together.

Still, with their quilt covering them, Yuzu sat as tall as she could at the moment and wrapped one arm around Mei's shoulders and pulled the covers up around her shoulders. Yuzu smiled as she felt Mei wriggle down a little so her head was resting on her chest, under the covers Mei was quick to find her girlfriends spare hand and entwine their fingers.

Mei could feel Yuzu laying several kisses to the top of her head and her thumb ran along the back of her own. At the moment Mei could have said she had never been happier, she was snuggled up in Yuzu's embrace, receiving warm kisses and Yuzu would occasionally whisper something to Mei about her being perfect and beautiful. This felt so much better than going out to a restaurant and having to sit and eat properly, both Yuzu and Mei could agree on that at the moment.

"I love you," Yuzu leaned down to Mei's ear and spoke softly after she layed a kiss to the side of the youngers forehead. Mei, who truly felt loved at the moment, turned her head and smiled up at the beaming blonde, "I love you too, I love you so much Yuzu," Mei said the words without hesitation as she leaned up to Yuzu. Within seconds Yuzu had brought her head down to meet Mei halfway, connecting their lips in a soft meaning full kiss. Yuzu continued to sooth Mei's thumb with her own, while the hand wrapped around her shoulders made light patterns on Mei's bare arm.

The short embrace was broken as the two smiled at each other, Mei being the first one to break contact and look back at the television, her head finding its place on the blonde's chest.

Hours had passed as Yuzu continued to show Mei affection, it was nearing eleven and Yuzu saw this night going one of two ways; either she kept up the flirtations and at the right moment took it further, or she asked Mei what had been bothering her. The later of the two in Yuzu's mind would definitely end the atmosphere they had, she thought Mei would get defensive and shut her down, and inevitably end up going to bed on bad terms. Alternatively, Mei might open up to her they might be able to talk about a certain person that Yuzu thought played a role in Mei's troubles, but Yuzu thought it was very unlikely that it would go this way.

Mei nuzzled her head in closer to Yuzu, almost as if she could feel that she was a little tense and wanted to calm her down. Yuzu would have to make her decision soon as they would probably be heading to bed in a couple of hours at the latest, so did she spend those hours having sex with Mei or no doubt having a slight argument. In her mind she knew straight away which one she wanted: sex obviously, but the thought that she would be putting off talking and figuring out what was going on with her girlfriend another day would make her feel guilty. Putting her desires before Mei's problems was not something she thought she could have on her mind and actually be able to enjoy the activity.

Really the decision was already made for her, but how she was going to approach it was a different story. Mei was happily cuddled in, quietly eating her ice cream while she watched the movie. Yuzu could see that Mei was comfortable and content, as soon as she spoke up about this that would be gone.

"Babe?" Yuzu spoke softly as she ran her fingers through Mei's dark hair, momentarily stopping the girl from eating as she replied.

"Yes?" Mei's voice was sweet as ever, a voice that most likely no one other than Yuzu and maybe her mother had heard. Yuzu didn't want to sound nervous, but she didn't want this magical scene to end, which if she said what she was about to say it would. Still combing her fingers through Mei's hair, Yuzu gave a soft warm kiss to her head. "I have something I want to talk to you about and I don't want you to get upset or defensive about it. I really like how things are tonight, so once we are finished talking about it I would really like to go back to doing this, no arguments or storming away. Please?" With her hand still going through the raven locks, Yuzu waited as Mei listened to her shaky voice. She did just want to talk about Mei's problem, sort it out and go back to their peaceful night but once Mei heard what they were going to talk about she didn't think that would happen, even at her request.

Mei didn't move to look at Yuzu, she kept her eyes on the screen and nodded her head. Yuzu took this as a sign that Mei wanted the same thing, as she didn't move out of her grasp instead she snuggled further into the warm sheets.

"Okay... I think something has been bothering you all day, and I think it has something to do with a particular friend of mine. I know you said you were fine this morning but I saw the sad look on your face and again this afternoon, you really lost your cool to the point you looked like you were gonna cry. I'm not saying that it was wrong what you did because I understood where you were coming from, but what I don't get is why you were so upset about it. And I really don't want to you to get mad at me for bringing this up after you said you were okay but I'm worried. Even going to the store whenever we walked past certain people you would hold me tighter, and I need to know that you are okay." Yuzu spoke slowly as she tried to convey her worry and sincerity, she wanted to let Mei know everything she had noticed so she couldn't brush it off.

Mei listened intently, her face losing the small smile that had been there for the past couple of hours. Tonight had made Mei feel like the happiest girl alive; Having Yuzu so close to her and show her how much she really loved her, and Mei wanted this to continue until the early hours of the morning. She didn't want to ruin this moment by telling Yuzu she didn't like her friend because that friend wanted to get in bed with her, but at the same time if she didn't tell Yuzu what had been bothering her they would end up falling out over keeping secrets.

"I appreciate that you are concerned but it really is insignificant, and I apologise for squeezing your hand I didn't know I was doing it." Yuzu frowned at the reply she got. _I already knew you didn't know you were doing it, that's what's so concerning about it._

"It doesn't matter how small the issue is Mei, I want to know what it is. If you are worried that I will get mad you don't have to, I'm in a super good mood today and I really want to figure out and fix what bothering you so we can go back to watching the movies, please tell me." Yuzu's hand moved from the younger's hair to her shoulder and lightly rubbed it, tapping light tunes on the covered skin. Using her free hand, Yuzu reached her hand out from the covers and took one of Mei's in hers.

"Yuzu, please don't do this," Mei could feel herself getting upset at the thought of the snidey girl Yuzu was talking about, she couldn't tell Yuzu what she was feeling. She just wanted to go back to what they were doing several minutes ago.

"I'm sorry Mei but I have to. I can't just go about my day or have a friendship with someone when I think it's affecting you. I said I didn't want to argue and I meant it. I just need you to tell me what's going on, you know I'll listen." Yuzu still spoke softly to Mei as she wanted to make Mei feel like everything was okay. After several seconds of no response, Yuzu tried a different tactic hoping this time Mei would comply.

"Does it have something to do with me being late to pick you up?" Yuzu asked calmly, her hand still rubbing the girl's shoulder. Yuzu watched as Mei moved forwards, and at that moment she thought the younger girl was getting up to leave the room but to her relief, Mei placed her ice cream down on the table and leaned back against the blonde, which surprised Yuzu.

"Yes, not that you were late but because of why I thought you were late, and because of what you stopped to do." After Mei settled back down and had surrounded herself in covers, she mumbled the reply. She didn't want to tell Yuzu why she had gotten mad but would she rather tell the girl why she was mad or get mad at her right now, on their perfect evening?

Yuzu was surprised Mei had even spoken, and so much at a time. Nodding to herself, Yuzu took the information in and processed it before she spoke again. "So, it's because of Jasmin? Did she do something to you?" Yuzu asked suddenly feeling that something might have happened to Mei.

"Nothing happened Yuzu, I just don't really like her... at all," Mei said that last part as a whisper under her breath but of course Yuzu heard. The blonde's eyes widened at the statement, "Why? If it's because of what happened at that party I already apologised for that and so has Jasmin, she said she was drunk and that she regretted it-" Yuzu was cut off as Mei piped up for the first time without Yuzu having to wait.

"Was she hell drunk. She did it on purpose and she is going to do it again because she wants to fucking sleep with you!" Once she realised what she had said, Mei quickly covered her mouth as she shrunk back under the duvet, instantly regretting what she had said. Yuzu's eyes widened again at Mei, her jaw dropping open as she was stuck for words.

"Mei, that's- that's I ehh think you... maybe you... she would never, I mean we are just friends." Yuzu was feeling completely overwhelmed at the moment, she knew that it was something about Jasmin that was bothering her girlfriend but never had she expected those words to come out of her mouth.

"At the moment," Mei's reply came bitterly as she continued to hide half her face under the covers like a scared child, really unsure if she should be telling Yuzu any of this. Sure, it stopped Yuzu from thinking she was lying but it still seemed to make a rather uncomfortable conversation and Mei was sure the evening was ruined because of what she let slip. Mei heard Yuzu gasp at her swift reply, and she knew it was uncalled for and that Yuzu didn't want anything more than a friendship with Jasmin but Jasmin did, and Mei had seen how deceptive and malicious this girl was.

"Mei, I'm gonna pretend you didn't just imply that." Taking a deep breath, Yuzu though for a moment before speaking again. "She makes you uncomfortable and mad because you think she wants to have sex with me, but I don't get that impression from her at all and even if I did you know I would never do anything with her. So what am I supposed to do?" Yuzu had returned to her gentle voice as she tried to figure this out. Like she had asked, Mei had said what had been bothering her and Yuzu had promised she wouldn't get mad or shout, so she had to keep her end of the bargain. She still wanted to be able to go back to watching the movies after this.

"Sorry, I didn't mean you I meant her when I said that. This is why I didn't want to say anything Yuzu, she is your friend and I didn't want to impose on that. I don't want you to do anything, you said yourself that she is just your friend so maybe I am imagining things. Please just forget it." Mei for the first time looked at Yuzu, her eyes pleading the older girl to drop this subject. Mei would have loved it if Yuzu just stopped speaking to the girl but she knew that was selfish and wrong, Mei had no evidence that the girl wanted anything from Yuzu apart from friendship except small pieces of conversation which could have been interpreted two ways.

"Mei I don't want to just drop it if you are still worried about this. I am not going to do anything with any other girl or guy, even if she did try something I wouldn't go along with it. But I can't exactly just tell her 'we can't be friends anymore cuz my girlfriend thinks you want to sleep with me'. How about this, I stay friends with her and if I see her doing anything that might suggest she wants more I'll cut it off, I really don't think it will come to that you know because I don't think she is that type of person. But Mei, you know I will pick you over any other person in this world. Okay?" Yuzu gave a light smile as she looked down at Mei, who in return gave a small smile back.

"Okay, but... I would really appreciate it if you didn't hug her or link arms with her like you do Harumin, no cuddling and I don't, under no circumstances, want her in this house," Mei said, if Yuzu was going to entertain her idea then she would be setting up some rules. Mei did feel ashamed having to ask the blonde this, but it would make her feel better knowing that Jasmin's breasts weren't going to be pushed up against her girlfriend ever again. With a blush of embarrassment on her cheeks, Mei looked to Yuzu as she spoke and waited for her reply.

"Okay, okay if it will make you feel better I promise to have no physical contact with her at all, but she still is my friend Mei. I mean I can limit the amount of time I spend with her but I don't want to make things awkward or anything. Can you live with that, you know without ignoring me because you saw a photo?" Yuzu gave a light laugh as she tried to iron out any folds of tension that might have still been in the air. Mei although didn't appreciate the reference, smiled and nodded her head turning it away from the blonde back to the television that Yuzu had paused before they started talking.

Yuzu watched as Mei turned away from her seeming content with how the conversation had ended, and if Yuzu was honest so was she. Mei unlike she had expected had cooperated nicely with her and told her the truth, hadn't walked away or raised her voice. Now she was getting ready to start watching the movies again, something Yuzu was very eager to start doing again. But before that happened she had something else she had to do first. Taking Mei's small chin in her hand, Yuzu gently tilted her head so Mei's eyes met hers. After several moments of the greens looking into the amethyst orbs, Yuzu leaned down and captured the quivering lips with her own. It was short and sweet but it ended the conversation on a good note, showed both the girls that the other was okay.

"Thank you, Mei." Yuzu nodded as she rested her head against Mei's for a moment before looking back up and pressing play on the movie, Mei wriggling to get back into a comfy position leaning against the blonde.

Yuzu was grateful that Mei had managed to open up to her about this, she could only imagine what had made Mei come to this ludicrous conclusion about her friend, but she was glad that Mei spoke her worries. She didn't think anything at all would come from her friendship with Jasmin, but if Mei felt uncomfortable Yuzu would more than willingly comply with Mei's requests. After all, if Mei had trusted her enough to actually talk to her about a subject as sensitive as this one, the least Yuzu could do was respect her wishes. Yuzu might not have understood why Mei thought these things, maybe it was the insecurities she had told Yuzu about all those months ago or perhaps it was jealousy, either way, Yuzu didn't want any of these thoughts going on inside her girlfriend's mind, she would do near anything to remedy those feelings. Having no physical contact with one of her friends seemed like a small price to pay to put Mei at ease.

Taking Mei's hand beneath the covers Yuzu relaxed against the younger girl at her side, with her conscience having been cleared Yuzu felt much better. After laying several kisses to the top of Mei's head, Yuzu sat contently watching the movie with the love of her life lying in her arms.

Not five minutes from then, Yuzu looked down to see Mei getting up from her position. "Huh, Mei are you going to bed? It's still pretty early- ehh Mei?" Underneath the covers, Mei sat up and climbed on top of Yuzu's lap. With the quilt still hanging from her shoulders, Mei reached her hand forward as she straddled the pink-faced blonde. Taking Yuzu's growlingly hot cheek in her hand, Mei rubbed her thumb along her cheekbone as she watched Yuzu's reaction. Not saying a word, Mei brought her head in closer to Yuzu's and after a moment's hesitation that was spent looking into Yuzu's sparkling eyes, Mei planted her lips onto Yuzu's.

Her hands found the waist of the girl sitting on top of her as she eagerly replied to the kiss, letting out a soft moan Yuzu moved her hands to the girl's hips. Seeing that Mei had no intention of pulling back, Yuzu parted her lips and slipped her tongue out of her mouth and over Mei's soft lips asking for entry. Yet much to her disappointment, as soon as her tongue tried to part the plump lips Mei moved away leaving a trail of soft, slow kisses along her jawline.

After her journey to the blonde's ear was over, Mei made a line of kisses back to the slightly wet pink lips. When she reached them she once again placed her lips on the blonde's, taking her in a slow kiss. Tilting her head Mei continued her kiss as she relished the feeling of Yuzu lips on her own, but again Mei left those beautifully tempting lips when Yuzu grazed her tongue over her lips, trying to get into her mouth. This time pulling back completely as she caught her breath and lightly thumbed Yuzu's bottom lips while looking her in the eye.

"Mei, did I do something wrong?" Yuzu studied Mei intently as she steadied her breathing; her eyes were full of adoration as she looked down into the blonde's eyes but overall Mei had a pretty neutral expression, she wasn't smiling but she didn't look unhappy either. Thinking she had done something to upset the younger as whenever Yuzu tried to deepen the kiss Mei moved away, now she was looking down to her with this expression.

Just as Yuzu was going to speak and ask Mei again she spoke up, "No, of course you didn't Yuzu. I was just enjoying taking it slow, we so often just rush into it I was just savouring the feeling of your lips." Mei blushed at her words but she never broke eye contact with Yuzu whos eyes softened. Moving her hands back to her girlfriend's waist, Yuzu nodded her head to Mei. "Whatever you want my love," Yuzu smiled as she brought herself closer to Mei before slowly placing her lips back against Mei's, she too savoured the soft, delicate feeling of her partner's lips.

After near a minute of this slow passionate dance, Mei pulled away again, this time Yuzu didn't question her only waited for Mei to say something. Turning her head to the side, Mei waited for a few moments before she looked back to Yuzu.

"Do you think you could play something for me Yuzu?" Mei looked from the burgundy piano to her lover who was smiling softly to her, "Of course. I can play anything you want, anything at all." Yuzu gave a nod to Mei as she gently pushed the coffee table away with her feet so she could stand. After waiting a moment Yuzu realised Mei had no intention of moving from her legs, smoothly pulling the duvet from Mei's shoulders and turning down the television, Yuzu shuffled to the front of the couch. She held Mei firmly by her upper thighs as she felt Mei wrap her legs around her waist and bury her head in her neck, her arms snaking around her neck.

Feeling Mei was secure, Yuzu stood effortlessly from the couch and got her balanced before slowly walking over to their piano; lightly swaying Mei as she went. When she was sitting on the stool with Mei still on her lap, Yuzu reached forwards and turned the electric piano on. Pressing some random keys before she gently pushed Mei from her body to sit a little further back on her legs, allowing her to meet Mei's gaze.

"What would you like me to play?" Yuzu asked, her voice kind and tender. Leaving one hand on the piano, the other went back to Mei's waist. "I'm not sure." Mei leaned forwards and placed a soft kiss to Yuzu's cheek as she thought, "... Something peaceful maybe... romantic, slow... loving..." Mei seemed slightly embarrassed as she described to Yuzu what she wanted her to play. A song came to Yuzu's mind immediately, but she hadn't played it in years and couldn't play it entirely from memory.

"Do you have your phone on you Mei?" Yuzu looked to Mei hoping she did, as otherwise, she would have to get up and get her own, and like magic, Mei nodded her head and pulled her phone from her shorts pocket. Typing for several moments on the phone, Yuzu brought up some sheet music and placed the phone where she would normally have put her sheet music. Scanning over the song, Yuzu slowly started remembering the beat as she played it in her mind. She was brought out of her memory retrieval as Mei lightly kissed her on the lips.

Sliding Mei back up her legs, Yuzu waited until Mei was balanced and holding on properly before she started playing. Mei had her shoulder tucked under Yuzu's chin allowing the girl to just be able to see some of the keys, not that it mattered much to the blonde: she knew a keyboard like the back of her hand, she didn't need to look at the keys to know where they should have been. Well, at least not for moderately easy songs, or ones she had practised dozens of times.

"I don't know if you will know this song Mei but what you described made me think of this, and this song makes me think of you when I hear it so I think you should like it," Yuzu spoke calmly as she placed a small kiss to the side of Mei's neck before turning her attention to the phone screen in front of her.

The first keys filled the apartment with a full leisurely melody, Mei felt every piece of tension in her body drift away as she was captivated by the sound of Yuzu playing. The slow compassionate notes almost brought a tear to Mei's eye, how her girlfriend was playing something so delicate and tender for her made her indescribably happy. To begin with, she didn't recognise the song, but it didn't bother her as she felt the meaning of the song in its andante but meaningful melody. When the blonde came to the chorus of the song a chord was struck in Mei, (no pun intended ;)) she instantly recognised the song and her grasp on the blonde tightened as a gasp left her lips.

Yuzu was playing 'You and I' by John Legend. Mei knew this song, she had heard it several times and admired it, the words didn't mean much to her then but as she listened to the blonde playing the notes, ' _and this evening I, won't let the feeling die I never wanna leave your side... Out of all of the girls, you're my one and only girl ain't nobody in the world tonight.'_ Mei could feel tears as she recited the words in her head as Yuzu played them gracefully on the keys. Mei dropped her hands from Yuzu's neck and carefully wrapped them around the girl's waist, the action that wasn't subtle at all knocked Yuzu as she played several wrong notes before getting back into her rhythm. Ducking her head into Yuzu's neck, Mei laced several slow kisses as she listened to Yuzu play.

Mei listened as Yuzu started a crescendo, when she was at her peak, Mei felt undying happiness at what Yuzu was trying to convey to her.

 _'you keep wondering if you're what I'm wanting, you don't even have to try... Ohh you don't have to try, don't try, don't try, you don't have to try. Ohh out of all of the girls your my one and only girl ain't nobody in the world tonight, all of the stars they don't shine brighter than you are ain't nobody in the world but you... and I, you... and I, you... and I, nobody in the world tonight, ain't nobody in the world but.. you.. and I.'_ As Yuzu came to the end she played a dynamic diminuendo that made Mei's heart flutter, as she walked the last of the notes up the length of the piano. Yuzu waited for several moments as she held the last note and after finally releasing the pedal, wrapped both her arms around Mei, holding her tight.

With her head tucked over Mei's shoulder, Yuzu spoke confidently into Mei's ear as she felt Mei squeeze her, "I love you Mei Aihara, there is no one in this entire universe who compares to you. I will love you and only you until the day I die because you are the most beautiful, caring and loving person I have ever met, and most importantly you are the best thing that ever happened to me. I would never trade you in for a quick one night stand or even for a perfect, no argument relationship with someone else because I already have what I want right here; You." Holding onto Mei, Yuzu felt herself sniffle a little at her words that seemed to flow naturally out of her mouth.

Mei didn't speak, she couldn't speak the huge lump in her throat made that impossible. She clung to the fabric of Yuzu's shirt as she let quiet tears run down her cheek into the blonde's neck, never had she felt so much emotion in her chest. Yuzu took Mei's silence to continue, she felt this was the perfect time to let Mei know all her feelings. Leave Mei with absolutely no doubt of her love.

"You Mei, you are my purpose for being here. I wake up every morning just because I know I'll be able to look at that gorgeous face, hold you in my arms and tell you I love you. You might not see it but you are radiant, everyone dims in comparison. Just being in the same room as you makes my heart beat faster, knowing that such an amazing woman is mine." As Yuzu continued she felt Mei's shoulders start to tremble along with a wet sensation on her neck. Keeping both hands firmly planted around Mei, Yuzu gave her a reassuring squeeze as she spoke.

"You are the love of my life, whether you have bed head hair and are wearing a five-year-old stained oversized top or looking absolutely smoking hot in a business suit it doesn't make a difference to me. You are the one who I will love for the rest of my life, nobody else but you." Yuzu smiled as she felt Mei give her one last tight embrace before she pulled back and pressed her lips onto Yuzus. She could feel Mei's tears on her cheeks but Yuzu knew they were tears of happiness, bringing both her hands to the younger's cheeks, Yuzu lightly pushed Mei back as she wiped the tears with her thumbs, leaving Mei to look straight into Yuzu's glistening eyes.

"Yu-yuzu... Why are you so good to me?" Mei asked as she let out a sob and held Yuzu's hand that was wiping her tears away. The reply she got made a mixture of a laugh and a cry leave the younger of the two.

"That's simple, Mei, because I love you," Mei should have expected this considering the heartwarming moment the two had just shared but still, the words pulled at the already worn strings of her heart.

"You-you have to stop Yuzu I can't take any more, my-my heart." Mei gave a weary sob as she clutched at the shirt above her chest, trying to show the blonde that she was having a hard time keeping this rush of emotion in check. Yuzu, however, grabbed Mei by the legs as she had done earlier and stood in a swift motion, once standing Yuzu felt Mei's legs instantly tightened around her.

"Never Mei. I love you, I love you and I love you some more! And more and more, never ever will I stop telling you that." Yuzu spun Mei around once as she smiled at the slight squeal her girlfriend made. When she was done, Yuzu sat back down on the stool and waited as Mei held her close. Yuzu's heart warmed as she felt Mei leave several kisses to the crook of her neck, slowly making her way up the blonde's neck until she came face to face with the blonde.

"Thank you, Yuzu... that was beautiful." Mei only spoke the few words before she leaned in and gave the blonde a much-needed kiss to the lips. The kiss was slow as it had been before but neither if the two were complaining, Yuzu thought she spoke for both of them when she thought that this evening was a good change of pace for the two. The slow kisses, small breaks, it was allowing her to appreciate the things about Mei that she didn't have time to think about when they rushed into things; Like how extremely soft Mei's lips were, or that her eyes sparkled and seemed to brighten every time she looked into Yuzu's; The baby blush that appeared on Mei's cheeks every time she looked at the blonde's awaiting lips; The way Mei's hands trembled slightly at her touch or the way she turned her head trying to feel Yuzu's lips from every possible angle. Yuzu loved it.

Ending the kiss, Yuzu pulled back and took Mei's hand that was still holding her own and brought it to her lips. Laying a feather-like kiss to her knuckles Yuzu brought her head closer and after giving her a soft peck, lowered her hands to Mei's waist.

"Mei, what do you want to do?" Yuzu asked softly, unaware of just how Mei wanted this night to end. If she wanted to carry on and get more intimate Yuzu certainly didn't mind but if she just wanted to spend the evening holing one another and taking in the little things about one another Yuzu would be all for that too. This night was about Mei and Yuzu knew Mei was feeling exhausted from the idea of Yuzu leaving her for someone else, so she wanted to make Mei feel as comfortable as possible.

Yuzu watched as Mei sat still on her legs, seemingly browsing the options in her head through her eyes never left the blondes. After several more moments of silence, Mei spoke up, her voice now fuller and more confident than before.

"I know what you want, but can that maybe wait till later? I don't want to push you and I know you might not be fully comfortable playing it for me because it was for you and your father but... do you think you could play some more? I really liked listening to you play Nuvole Bianche the very first time you played a song for me, I know it's late and you might be too tired to play a lot so it's okay if you say no. I mean if it is uncomfortable for you or you don't want to it's fine you can play something else or we can just go back to watching those movies or if you don't want to do that then we can have se-" Mei's rambling was put to an end swiftly as Yuzu heard the next word that was going to come out of her lovers mouth.

Just like the rest that night the kiss was slow and soft, but enough that it caught Mei off guard and stopped her from speaking. As Mei was still stuck to Yuzu's lips, the blonde pulled her back up her body to the point where their breasts where pushed together. Before Mei could say anything the feeling of Yuzu's hands leaving her waist and the quiet sound of three notes filled the apartment. Mei instantly knew what the blonde was playing and it filled her with joy.

"Now I might make some mistakes because I can't see all the keys and I still find this a little difficult to play if I can't see my hands, but I hope you still like it." Yuzu placed a quick kiss to the side of Mei's head before she locked her eyes back on her hands. "And Mei?" Yuzu spoke quietly, almost whispering into Mei's ear as to not disturb her performance. Yuzu got a quick nod back from Mei alongside several light pecks to her neck. "I will play anything for you on the piano you don't have to be so hesitant about it, but please don't ever suggest having sex just because you think I want it. If you don't want to do it then we won't, okay?" Yuzu said rather sternly although still quiet, her hand still dancing on the keys making the peaceful tune fill the room.

After several seconds of listening to the moderate piece, Mei gave another nod of her head, her lips and nose brushing off the crook of the blonde's neck as she did. "I never said I didn't want to Yuzu, I was just enjoying spending time with you. It was just if you maybe wanted to pick up the pace and you know... go for it straight away." Mei spoke as softly as Yuzu, her voice losing confidence as she came ot the end of her sentence. Mei received a quick 'okay' from Yuzu before the two relaxed to the sound of the blonde's playing, Mei covering her neck in frail kisses which occasionally, along with her inability to see, resulted in a mix up of keys. This lead to moments of laughter before the peaceful environment returned.

When the five minutes had passed Yuzu took her hands from the keys and after giving them a quick stretch buried her face into Mei neck, surrounding her self in Mei's pitch black hair and therefore her scent. Taking in a long breath of the refreshing smell Yuzu started peppering the neck in kisses.

"How was that?" Yuzu asked her voice hopeful that she had kept to Mei's standards. Moving back, Mei nodded without question to Yuzu who was smiling proudly to her. "Of course, you were amazing as I expected you to be." Raising her hand to Yuzu's cheek Mei leaned in and gave her another kiss, and like before Yuzu didn't attempt to turn the innocent kiss into anything more out of respect for Mei. Though Yuzu was pleasantly surprised when she felt the tip of Mei's tongue brush lightly over her lips.

Leaving not a moment of hesitation Yuzu allowed Mei entry and enjoyed a slow passionate dance of their tongues. Yuzu's hand found its place in Mei's hair and continued to run her hand along the scalp if the younger girl as the kiss continued. Not a minute in and Yuzu was already losing her breath, whether it was a mixture of pent up adrenaline or the sweet moans Mei was releasing into the apartment, Yuzu didn't know but she was quickly running out if air. As desperately as she wanted to continue, Yuzu reluctantly pulled her head back releasing Mei's tongue after a final suck. When their lips were finally apart Yuzu layed several pecks to Mei's neck in an attempt to keep the mood up, but her lungs betrayed her and she was rendered useless, her lungs forcing her to recuperate and get some air.

Sitting back Yuzu looked up at Mei's amused gaze, her chest rising and falling at rapid speed. Mei, although had just participated in the same thing, was having a much easier time, with her breath just slightly faster than normal. "What's wrong with you today Yuzu? You usually have a little more in you than that." Yuzu gave a weak smirk at Mei who had flushed red cheeks and was giving a small grin as she teased the blonde. It was true usually, though Mei would never admit it and Yuzu wouldn't say it in front of Mei seriously, Yuzu out of the two usually lasted longer in intimate moments. She had more stamina that Mei on most occasions and would normally be the last one to break a kiss due to the inability to breath. And yet here she was panting like an animal while Mei had already caught her breath and was just using the spare time to run her fingers through the slightly tangled blonde locks.

After nearly a minute of this interaction, Yuzu spoke her breath now back to normal. "Sorry bout that, I don't know what's wrong with me." Yuzu gave a bigger grin and gave a slight shrug of her shoulders as she straightened her back and gave a quick kiss to Mei's lips before slouching a little more.

"Are you feeling better, no more silly thoughts zooming around up there?" Yuzu asked with a small chuckle as she lightly tapped her fore and middle fingers off the side of Mei's head. Mei gave a giggle at the blonde's words and nodded, "I'm feeling much better, thank you." Mei smiled down at Yuzu as she swung her legs behind the blonde, her arms resting on her shoulders.

"I can see that you are tired, so how about we go back to the lounge and finish the movie we were watching? I'll make you play some more for me tomorrow when you are more awake." Mei rolled her eyes and smiled down at Yuzu who gasped in exaggerated astonishment. Leaning back ever so slightly Yuzu raised her hand to her chest in a mock offended gesture, "Me tired? Never" Yuzu laughed after several moments and caught Mei in another kiss, again leaving it to the younger girl to deepen in in fear of rushing when Mei had asked to go slow.

It was Mei who after only thirty seconds broke the kiss, resting her head on the blonde's and looked down into her eyes, waiting to see what the blonde would say.

"Okay, okay I'll admit I am a little out of sync because I'm tired but we can definitely go back to watching those movies and cuddling," Daring to go further, Yuzu dropped her hands to Mei's legs and ran them along the underside of her thighs and over her ass, being sure to give a playful squeeze before she returned them to her waist. "... Or we could do something else," Yuzu gave a quick smile that turned into a laugh as Mei practically jumped off her legs at the motion.

Giving a halfhearted scowl to the blonde, Mei slid completely off Yuzu's legs and stood by herself before starting to walk back to the living room giving a small huff as she did.

"Awe c'mon Mei, please I didn't mean it. I'm sorry," Yuzu whined still from the stool at the piano, although she had swivelled her body so she was facing the couch where Mei was walking to, she remained seated; her legs stretched out for the first time since sitting down.

Surprised at the lack of a pursue, Mei turned around to see Yuzu watching her from their previous position, furrowing her brow a little as she watched the shorter girl massage her thighs with her hands. "What's wrong Yuzu? Did I hurt you when I got up?" Mei had completely lost her annoyed expression, her voice taking on a tone of both worry and guilt. Yuzu was quick to give a laugh and wave Mei off, completely dismissing her proposal, "No you didn't hurt me Mei, but you've been sitting on my legs for the better part of twenty minutes, there completely numb though I can start feeling the pins and needles now." Giving a smile that was both of happiness and discomfort Yuzu gave a thumbs up to Mei, trying to reassure the girl.

"You should have said something Yuzu," Mei said slightly annoyed as she sat down on the arm of the chair so she could still look at the blonde.

"Yeah yeah I know, but you were upset and my biggest priority was making you feel better." Giving her signature smile, Yuzu ever so slowly made her way over to the couch. Getting there she flopped on her back and waited for the tingling sensation to go away, in the meantime she smiled up at Mei who had returned to her neutral expression.

Saying nothing, Mei lifted the blonde's legs by her calves and sat down on the cushions, laying Yuzu's legs back over her thighs; Wordlessly pressing play on the movie, giving it her full attention.

Yuzu, still stuck by her tingling legs, frowned over at Mei who was trying her damnedest not to look at the blonde. "Mei please don't ignore me, I didn't mean to kill the mood I said I was sorry don't be mad at me. C'mon, I literally just apologised and tried to make you feel better, don't be going all moody on me for trying to reassure you." The blonde's whines emanated throughout the apartment making it near impossible for Mei to focus on the movie, not that she was actually trying and was in turn easily swayed into looking back at Yuzu.

"I never said I was in a sour mood, I know that you were only trying to reassure me but I don't like that you allowed yourself to get hurt in the process. Besides, we are watching the movies just like you asked." Mei gave her best attempt at a smile but she couldn't hide the annoyance in her expression.

Having the feeling finally return to her legs, Yuzu sat up and pulled her legs under her so she was sitting crossed legged on the couch facing Mei who was now flicking her eyes between the television and the blonde. Yuzu, however, not content with only having half the girl's attention, rose to her knees and turned Mei's face with her hand. When her face was turned and Mei was looking at her, Yuzu leaned in and carefully placed a kiss to Mei's lips, mindful of any resistance she might have had.

When Mei returned the embrace instantly, Yuzu used the moment to pull one leg over Mei's and sat over her lap. Still on her knees, Yuzu leaned down into the kiss, caressing Mei's upturned head. Several soft moans were muffled by both parties as a result. After several minutes of the leisurely kiss Yuzu unconsciously started moving her hips, practically grinding her clothed pelvis against Mei's chest. Completely lost in the feeling of her lover's lips Yuzu felt like everything around them had disappeared, all she could feel were Mei's lips and her hands that were gripping tightly at the back of her cotton covered thighs.

Finally feeling the need for air, Mei slightly pushed on the blonde's thighs indicating that she needed to break the kiss. Things seemingly back to normal though as Yuzu as per usual was persistent in prolonging the contact, her lips, hands nor active hips stopping at the light push. It took an eternity long ten seconds for Mei to finally pry her lips from the blonde's, a mixture of pure bliss and the pain in her heaving lungs rushed through her, Yuzu seemed to have already got her erratic breathing under control enough so that she was already attacking Mei's neck with a barrage of kisses, being sure to just leave kisses and nothing more as she knew Mei wanted to go slow and in all honesty Yuzu really didn't mind. It just meant that their night would last longer than usual.

Along with tilting her head back into the couch, allowing the blonde to continue her advances on her jaw and throat, Yuzu could feel Mei's trimmed nail raking along the back of her thighs in an attempt to keep up the contact but also needing something to grip onto. This, however, didn't bother Yuzu in the slightest as she ran her hands through the silky black locks and over the exposed shoulder and neck of her lover, milking every moan she could from the squirming girl beneath her.

"I'm sorry if I upset you, but I'm completely fine and the only thing I wanna focus on right now is you. Is that okay?" Stopping for mere seconds before her lips continued to brush over the light skin, never lingering too long or leaving a mark she hadn't even left a mark yet or brushed her tongue on the warm skin no matter how tempting it was. Yuzu wanted to know that Mei wanted to go further, she didn't really think that going any further without some sort of verbal consent would be okay tonight.

One hand lightly caressed the girl's cheek, the other the girl's arm as Yuzu very reluctantly pulled her lips form the youngers neck and stopped her hips that she hadn't completely realised she was rubbing against her partner. Not sitting down yet, Yuzu moved back enough that Mei would be able to answer her without anything clouding her judgment.

"Mmhmm, just be sure not to go too fast." Mei after catching her breath gave a small smile and nodded up to Yuzu.

"Of course, but I was already going slow for you. I know you don't want to rush anything tonight and neither do I." Yuzu said as she slowly lowered herself onto the taller girls legs, now eye level with her. Yuzu watched as an amused smile spread on Mei's lips, her hands reaching from her thighs to her hips.

"Yeah, you really seemed to be taking it slow with that furious grinding you had going on there." Mei smiled and struggled to stifle a chuckle when Yuzu's cheeks flushed red as she tried to think of a retort. Though she didn't quite have time as Mei leaned forwards and pressed her lips to the blondes. Soft lips met one another and before she had time to realise what the younger was doing, Yuzu had already parted her lips to let Me inside her mouth. Yuzu didn't even think about trying to dominate the younger and force her way into the girl's mouth, she was more than content participating in the almost elegant exchange that was going on.

Yuzu now had one hand wrapped tightly in the dark locks, her body pretty much melting against Mei's form. The two not quite running out of breath, Yuzu still pulled away and focused on the white skin on her partner's neck, loving the baby moans that she let loose.

"You are beautiful," Yuzu whispered into Mei's pink ear as she layed several innocent kisses to her temple. She got an incoherent reply from Mei who had her head thrown back into the cushions as her hand searched the blonde's back.

"Are you comfortable here or do you want to go to the room? Whatever you want tonight we can do." She lowered herself to Mei's collarbone and traced them with her lips, laying soft kisses but no marks, not yet.

"Bed- Room... Please." Yuzu smirked at her girlfriend's response and continued her barrage on her neck and shifted her shirt to the side to get access to her shoulders. After spending several more minutes pleasing her girlfriend with only her lips, she allowed Mei to pull her shirt on properly and got off her legs, taking her hands Yuzu helped Mei off the couch and smiled as she watched Mei eye her for several more minutes.

"We can clean it up in the morning or after class tomorrow, we are way too busy to do it now," Yuzu smirked as she watched Mei contemplate whether or not she was going to leave the takeaway boxes on the table. Though it seemed that she didn't have much of a choice as she almost squealed as Yuzu lifted her by her thighs and pulled her up to her waist. With Mei instinctively wrapping her legs around the blonde's torso to stop her from falling, she watched the living room get further and further away as she was marched down the hall.

Chuckling to herself as she ignored Mei huffing about being picked up so casually, once Yuzu got into the bedroom she gently backed Mei onto the bed but didn't release her grip. With Mei now lying flush on the bed and Yuzu between her legs, Mei couldn't help the smile on her lips as she looked up to the cheesing blonde.

Keeping her legs wrapped around the older girls waist, Mei shuddered as she felt the entire of Yuzu's body against her in one swift grinding motion; The blonde seemingly purposely dragging out the motion between their hips.

Resting on her elbows that were either side of the youngers head Yuzu, after she had stopped moaning from the contact, smiled down at Mei before giving her a soft kiss. Mei could say she was shocked, in a good way, at how Yuzu was going about this, the slow pauses and how Yuzu kept going back to the innocent tongueless kisses, or how she would make one stronger advance before falling back into the less physical stuff. It reminded Mei of the first couple times they had actually slept together, the way Yuzu was too nervous to just go straight for it or that she would, like she was doing now, stop her advances every time she did something more physical and return to kisses and cuddles.

If she was honest, Mei really liked it. The two, under Mei's verdict, hadn't actually slept together until they had moved out and were in their first year of University. Of course, they had done _things_ before the first night in their own apartment but they had only actually been sleeping together for a little over a year, and despite what others might have thought, Yuzu's confidence grew quickly. Now they rarely ever had nights where the blonde was too shakey to just jump straight to it, and tonight was a much-appreciated change of pace.

"Can I kiss you?" Yuzu pulled back and looked Mei in the eyes, Mei knew what Yuzu was asking her and wasted no time in grasping the blonde by the back of her head and pulling her down to meet her lips in a rushed and heated kiss. Wasting no time in pushing her tongue into the blonde's mouth and hoping she would take the hint that Mei wanted to go slow but not to the point of having to ask to kiss her properly. Although much to her disappointment, Yuzu pulled back after moments of the kiss beginning.

"Hey, I asked if I could kiss you not if you could kiss me." Yuzu said smugly as she gave a quick grin before leaning her entire form onto the younger girl and pressed their lips back together. After several movements of her head, Yuzu took the grasping at her hair as a sign that Mei wanted her to move slightly faster, and so with no resistance Yuzu pushed her tongue into Mei and melted at the feeling of being inside her lover's mouth for the first time that night. Mei although not quite liking being told how she was supposed to be kissing, didn't fight for the dominating position, instead, relaxed into the slow caresses of her partner's warm muscle that was gradually exploring the regions of her mouth.

Minutes had passed and now Yuzu was regretfully behind pushed away from the kiss to allow Mei to breathe. Though it was a common thing, Yuzu never liked having to leave the lips of the raven-haired beauty and so settled for finally being able to suck at the skin of her neck.

"I love you so much Mei," She lowered to the shoulders, leaving few marks on her way. "One day soon I'm gonna show you just how much," Yuzu's voice was husky and quiet as she spoke in between kisses, her lips always grazing the skin as she spoke before delving back into kissing the pale skin.

Catching her breath and pushing her body up into the blonde Mei spoke, "If you are talking about my birthday I know its next week but I don't want anything, just spending the day with you is all I need." Mei said in rasps as the lips worked extra hard against the base of her neck, stretching the boundaries of her shirt.

Pulling back from the girl's upper chest, Yuzu looked down with a not so impressed expression, "I can't get you nothing for your twenty-first birthday, that's like the most majorest one. You have to give me some idea of what you would like." With a firm expression Yuzu watched as Mei looked up into her eyes, she watched as a small piece of consideration washed over the purple orbs before she shook her head.

"You know I'm not really one for birthdays, and this one isn't going to be any different from the one last year I would rather just spend my day with you so don't worry about getting me anything. Promise?" With her breathing back under control, Mei waited as Yuzu contemplated her words before giving a big grin.

"Sorry but no can do, I will more than happily spend the day with you but I have to get you a present. You gave me the best twenty-first birthday ever and I'm gonna be doing the same for you, so I'm afraid you are just going to have to deal with me." Grinning wildly Yuzu lowered herself back onto Mei's lips before she could argue.

Bringing one of her hands from the side of the younger head, Yuzu took the larger step forward and firmly grasped Mei's breast in her hand. Mei's back arched off the bed at the unforeseen contact, her breast being pushed further into the blonde's hand. After seconds of the firm massages, Yuzu could feel the hard tip pushing into her palm through the thin cloth of her shirt. When the nub was hard enough, Yuzu took the moment to give it a slow roll between her fingers and chose to continue when she heard a muffled gasp come from the girl beneath her.

With the legs around her back locking her in place Yuzu used them to her advantage as she ever so gently rocked her hips into Mei's crotch. The results satisfactory as Mei's breath hitched before going into low moans, Yuzu grinned when she felt Mei pushing her hips up to meet the blonde, craving for more contact to accompany the ministrations of her nipple. Releasing the point from her fingers, Yuzu wriggled free of Mei's legs to position herself on the girls lower abdomen.

"What happened to going slow tonight?" Returning to soft gropes of the warm mound Yuzu smiled down to Mei who looked very disappointed at the lack of contact. Sitting upright on top of the youngers torso Yuzu weaved her fingers under the fabric of Mei's shirt and ran them along the semi-firm stomach beneath it. With no response from Mei as her cheeks grew red at the older's words, Yuzu decided to keep going. "But I'm not against moving things along a little faster if you want to." Mei nodded quickly, still seemingly too embarrassed to speak.

Mei shuddered again as Yuzu's hands ran up and down her bare sides before moving to her ribcage where for several seconds the blonde just appreciated the warmth between her fingers. Before Mei had time to adjust she was met with both her breast being clasped by the two warm soft hands, after the initial squeeze that sent electricity down her spine Yuzu started kneading them simultaneously.

Yuzu, still sitting on the youngers waist, was captivated by the expressions Mei was making at the moment. No one other than her had ever had the pleasure of seeing this and Yuzu was damn sure no one else ever would if she had anything to say about it.

Her thoughts were broken as she felt Mei playing with the hem of her shirt, clearly wanting it to be anywhere else but on her at the moment. Releasing her grip, Yuzu was more than willing to free herself of her confinements. In one fell swoop, the shirt had been taken over her head and dropped to the floor, she grinned down at the younger girl who had her eyes glued to her chest. Moving her hands from the youngers waist Mei instantly took the bouncing breasts in her hands and relished in the way Yuzu's back involuntarily arched backwards.

The better part of an hour later, Mei had finally managed to get a teasing Yuzu and herself fully undressed. Mei was now on her knees facing and up against the wall as her hands gripped at the headboard of their bed with Yuzu behind her in a similar position. One of the blonde's hands was gripping her breast the other as wrapped around her waist, her fingers gliding along Mei's dripping slits as she rolled her hips into Mei's ass.

Bringing her mouth behind her girlfriend's burning ears, Yuzu whispered while she dragged her pelvis over Mei's cheeks. "Spread your legs." With a lick to her ear and her knee nudging the inside of Mei's, she eventually felt Mei open her legs a little more. Taking her hand from the youngers chest, Yuzu brought it to the back of her neck and after laying several kisses to the nape of her neck leaned forward and ran her hand down the length of Mei back.

"How would you feel about trying something new?" Yuzu spoke in a husky voice as she waited for Mei to reply, one hand was still stroking her slits and occasionally dipping inside the panting girl while the other joined her rocking hips by groping the taut muscle of her ass.

"Wh-what did you-" Mei's breathing was harsh as she tried to talk to her girlfriend. She had asked to go slow and unfortunately for her Yuzu took that too literally and had been teasing her much longer than she liked, now she was too aroused for her own good and just wanted the feeling of her lover inside her.

"I'll show you, but if you feel even the slightest bit uncomfortable tell me to stop and we can just go back to what we normally do." Slipping her grasping hand down Mei's behind, Yuzu stopped the work of her hips and focused on what she was doing. Laying countless kisses to Mei's exposed neck Yuzu slowly pushed her fingers deep within Mei, who in response shuddered and moaned in satisfaction.

Several thrusts later Yuzu could confidently say both her fingers and Mei were drenched, although it usually took some time to get into it Yuzu knew this was one of Mei's favourite positions. With what she was about to try she wanted Mei to be as turned on as possible, plus the blonde loved this as well; having Mei up against the wall panting heavily as she pushed her hips into the girls round ass, low moans filled the room and Mei was at her mercy.

With a final heavy push the blonde pulled her fingers out, much to the youngers dissatisfaction, and after replacing that hand with her other drew her fingers back and cautiously ran her fingers over Mei's other entrance. Yuzu listened as she heard Mei take a sharp gasp of air and her back arc into Yuzu's chest.

Her fingers still gently pumped into the moaning girl from the front, Yuzu, after massaging for several more seconds, pushed the tip of her finger into Mei's ass. "Ngnn! Yuzu... what-" As the fingers entered her, Mei felt a rush of pleasure shoot through her body, however, it was accompanied with a heavy discomfort and a slight amount of pain. Along with the two front digits that were growing in speed, Yuzu slowly started moving her single finger and when she did Mei collapsed into the headboard.

"Oh my god, Mei, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to go that far, are you okay?" As soon as Yuzu saw Mei's reaction, both hands were removed from the younger girl quicker than dropping a scorching hot pan. Moving from behind the girl to her side, Yuzu lifted her head to meet Mei's gaze.

The blonde had come across a particular scene in one of her mangas that had demonstrated this type of sex, and since then it had been playing heavily on the girl's mind. Though the way the character reacted was slightly different from what she was seeing here, and Yuzu felt she had crossed a line. The thought that she had hurt Mei in that way made Yuzu feel terrible and the idea was erased from her mind the moment she saw her girlfriend cry out and fall forwards.

"Mei?... Mei? Are you alright? I'm sorry," Mei's breath was ragged as she tried to adjust to her body suddenly feeling empty. The shock of what had just occurred along with the discomfort made Mei feel relief when the blonde retracted her finger but that loss of extra pleasure was nagging at her and craving for more.

"I'm- fine Yuzu, it was just a bit of a surprise." Seeing the anxious and guilty look on the blonde's face, Mei knew she had to say something before she started thinking she really had done something bad. The younger girl smiled when she saw the alarmed panic wash off her partners face.

"I'm sorry, I should have talked to you about trying something like that first I didn't mean to make you upset or hurt you." Yuzu shook her head at her stupidity, though Mei wasn't having any of it.

"Hey, look at me. Yes, you could have spoken to me beforehand but you asked me if I wanted to try something and you stopped as soon as you thought something was wrong. Besides I didn't entirely dislike it... Like I said it was just a surprise, I'll be ready this time so don't worry." Mei's cheeks grew darker as she spoke, never had she thought she would be having this conversation.

"Really, you liked it?!" A mixture of shock and a cocky grin had appeared onto the blonde's face. Mei gave a small nod and dropped her gaze to the bedsheets suddenly feeling exposed and embarrassed.

"Hey now, you don't need to hide it. I wouldn't have even tried it if I didn't think you would like it so it's all good." Leaning into the still furiously blushing girl, Yuzu gave her a sweet kiss before moving forward to her ear where she spoke in a sultry voice before moving back around Mei. "If anything it turns me on."

Shuddering, Mei was met with the familiar grinding motion of Yuzu on her ass, the feeling alone relit the arousal between her still open legs. Much like before, Yuzu swept Mei's hair to the side so she could work her lips on her neck and upper back, while one hand slipped around the girl's waist and effortlessly delved back inside Mei, her fingers being surrounded by tight wet walls and a low moan escaped from Mei's mouth.

"You know you don't have to try and be quiet, I love listening to you." Yuzu once again leaned up to Mei's ear only this time once she was finished, she took the lob in her teeth and after flicking it with her tongue gave it a long suck and Mei felt the uncomfortable pleasure fill her from below again.

"Fuck Yuzu, mmm," Mei let out a loud gasp at the combined stimulation of her ear ass and pussy, Yuzu was even managing to keep the grinding on Mei's ass up and this combination was sending Mei to the edge quicker than she had expected.

Yuzu could feel Mei thrusting her hips down onto her fingers, clearly loving this new sensation she was feeling but she was focusing most of her energy into the two digits that she was pushing in at an increased speed, feeling Mei clamp down on her every time she curled her fingers and knowing she was close to cumming. Yuzu knew Mei was feeling good from her extra application tonight that was evident from the countless dirty words spilling from her mouth, but Yuzu didn't want to push anything.

"That's it, Mei, cum from me fucking you in the pussy and the ass," Yuzu's voice had grown in both volume and confidence as she risked the statement her teeth scratching along the girl's shoulders before she bit down and sucked again. It was met with a low grunt and moan as Mei's fingers grasped tightly at the top of the headboard and the thrusting of her body sped up.

"Yuzu I'm- I'm going to cu-" Mei's voice was lost and drowned out by the moans as her body convulsed and shook at Yuzu's increased force. After several shallower thrusts, Yuzu took her fingers out and smiled as the action made Mei spasm. Mei was panting heavily as she used both the wall and the board to stop her from completely collapsing into the bed, but had they not been there she knew she would have been lying flat on her stomach. Her breath hitched again as she felt Yuzu's front fit into the curve of her back, her entirety pushing against her while her hands snaked up her form and tugged at her solid nipples.

"Yu-zhu I'm sensitive... The-re" During her last word Yuzu gently twisted the nub and was rewarded with Mei's voice going up several pitches as the impulses shot through her recovering body.

"I know, why do you think I done it?" Yuzu's voice was almost too cocky for Mei's liking but she could only moan as Yuzu continued to massage her breasts and kiss her neck, slowly working her way around to her cheek. After several more moments of Mei calming down, Yuzu moved back to her side where she took Mei in a rushed heated and rather sloppy kiss.

Wiping her hands on the bedsheets before she touched the younger face, Yuzu cupped her cheek and after a long few minutes pulled back and settled down on the mattress with Mei on her lap.

"How was that, did you enjoy it?" Yuzu asked with a smile, as she continued to lay light kisses to Mei's shoulder and arm. A petite laugh filled the room and Yuzu's heart fluttered at the angelic sound "You know I did. I'm not sure where you got the idea or courage to do that but I really kinda liked it. You really went all out there, I don't know how you're not even the slightest bit out of breath." Mei smirked to the blonde who grinned proudly back.

Not wanting to leave and go to the living room, Yuzu gently moved Mei from her legs and grabbed their blanket that had fallen on the floor. For one night it would do, grabbing it and shaking it out, Yuzu returned and layed it around Mei's sitting form preparing to go to sleep.

"What are you doing?" Mei had a hint of confusion in her voice but mostly she was amused at the blonde's hinting. The blonde simply shrugged her shoulders and smiled, "I thought you would be tired out after trying that so I guessed we would just go to sleep, I mean I am completely fine with that." Giving a genuine smile Yuzu tried to push Mei down onto the bed to go to sleep but she was met with twinkling eyes that suggested they would be doing otherwise.

"You think I'm just going to let you go to sleep after that?" Mei's response came quickly as she dropped the blanket from her shoulders and practically lunged onto the blonde, knocking her onto her back in fits of giggles.

Seeming to have regained her energy, Mei covered Yuzu's neck in light ticklish kisses as the blonde laughed. "Okay, okay I get it we're not going to sleep just yet." Yuzu chuckled as she pushed lightly on Mei's shoulder to get her to stop her actions and look her in the eyes and when she did the two were instantly drawn into a passionate make out, much to Yuzu's disappointment Mei gave her no chance to fight back and took the leading role without hesitation.

Mei's hand was between the blonde's legs before the minute was up and wasted no time in taking the protruding nipple in her mouth once the kiss was broken.

"Jesus Mei! Someones in a rush," Yuzu almost stuttered as she felt two fingers enter her without any preparation, though she was already soaked due to the events leading up to this moment making Mei's fingers slip in with little to no resistance.

"Trust me, I'm in no rush tonight." Mei flashed Yuzu a fearless smile before she lowered herself between the blonde's trembling legs, wasting no time as as soon as the dripping heat was within reach Mei gave the slits a long slow lick along with a quick suck to her clit at the end of her lap.

At the single motion, the blonde's hips rose from the bed, finally having herself touched after a long night of teasing. If Yuzu was honest the previous image of Mei played on her mind repeatedly, a wave of new liquid flowed from her core as a result, covering Mei's chin in her hot juices.

Yuzu's attention was quickly brought back to the girl at her entrance as a rough hard thrust of Mei's fingers went hilt deep into her, "Do I have your attention?" Her voice laced with purpose, Mei waited for Yuzu to finish the furious nod before she grinned and lowered her face again.

From her hard thrust Mei slowed down to gentler more consistent pushes, ignorant to the disputes she received, her tongue was now making gentle laps of her lips and gave the blonde the occasional satisfaction of sucking her clit.

"Mei go faster please!" Yuzu was, at this point, doing more moving than Mei was by shifting her hips onto Mei's fingers and face trying to create the friction she craved. Though the cry went unheard as Mei continued these ministrations for a good ten minutes before she slowly picked up her pace, which received moans of pleasure from Yuzu who was losing her energy after thrusting herself for such a long period of time.

Realising that she was a moment away from climaxing even though the activity had been moderate, Mei assumed that she was just too pent up. Pulling both fingers out Mei quickly switched the positioning of her fingers and her tongue, wanting to really taste her lover's juices. The not so light playing with the blonde's clit was accompanied with strong pushed of Mei's tongue, every time it entered the blonde Mei felt the walls contract around her, the feeling making her excited.

"Mei!... Just a little more...fuckkkkkk!" It felt great inside her, the hot muscle caressing her insides sent the blonde over the edge and before she had time to think her body was shaking and she could do nothing to stop the scream that came with it.

Smirking Mei removed her tongue and lifted herself above the sweating blonde. Keeping her fingers moving back and forth over the silky entrance Mei pushed her lips to Yuzu's, taking her in a fast uncoordinated kiss. "I'm not finished," With a moment's warning before she took the blonde in another tongue battle, Mei pushed three fingers into the leaking hole and winced a little when she felt the muffled scream of her partner emanate into her mouth.

It was much tighter than Mei had expected and for a moment she felt she may have been a little too rough with the blonde, however as she went to remove her fingers and apologise she felt Yuzu raise her hips and moan loudly against her lips. Opening her eyes, Mei was met with lidded emeralds that were glistening with desire.

With her heaving chest and sweat covered body, Mei pulled away from the kiss and shifted to the blonde's chest that was, much like her own, moving at an incredible speed. With the go-ahead from her lover, Mei carefully started moving her hand while her mouth suckled on her breasts being sure to leave a couple of marks around the pink erection.

"Ahh, Mei faster... do me harder!" Yuzu's voice came out a strangled plea through her haggard breathing but Mei heard every word and with a few more preparatory thrusts, Mei did as the blonde requested and Yuzu's body shook with pleasure. Still not fully recovered from her previous orgasm Yuzu was already trying to stop herself from cumming too fast although it didn't seem to work as with a bite to her engorged nipple and a curve of the three fingers the blonde shook again. This time however Mei allowed her to ride out her orgasm before removing her hand and leading a trail of kisses up her neck, licking several stray beads of sweat as she went.

With Mei's breathing almost as harsh as Yuzu's the kiss was almost non-existent but the effort was there and after several of these, Mei fell to the side beside her recovering girlfriend who was still occasionally twitching.

"Fuck that was good Mei," Yuzu gave the praise as she tried to get her breathing under control. After catching her breath Yuzu rolled to her side and started layering Mei in kisses again, the girl was lying on her back, clearly worn out but Yuzu didn't quite feel finished.

"Do you have enough left for one more round?" The words were sweet as Yuzu kneaded Mei's neck with her lips and she got a feeble nod of the head from the younger girl.

"Together?" Yuzu asked the single word but she as already on her knees and moving down between Mei's legs. Mei knowing what she wanted, turned to the side and waited as Yuzu carefully lifted her leg up into the air, and when it was resting on the blonde's shoulder Yuzu covered the inside of the long, smooth stretch of skin in soft kisses, her hips slowly started to grind against Mei's. Their soaked entrances mixed together and Yuzu almost came from the feeling alone.

After the first few initial thrust Yuzu began grinding herself hard into Mei, wanting to feel her as fast as possible. "Fuck Mei you are still so wet and it feels s-soo good on me" Yuzu managed the words before her erratic breathing returned.

Several minutes of this hard repetitive action and Yuzu was completely laced in sweat, her body clearly ready to give in but Mei just wasn't quite there yet. Knowing she wouldn't last more than a minute longer, Yuzu reached down with her hand and after gently pulling back to the hood to Mei's clit tenderly fingered it. A loud gasp filled the room and Mei's back arched off the bed sending her pelvis against Yuzu's.

"Yuzu, yes!" The two thrusting in sync for several more seconds before a conjoint orgasm took over them and after several slow grinds to draw out the sensation, Yuzu fell to space beside her lover.

The two glowing bodies stuck together on the bed, both panting and trying to recover, Yuzu, however, was significantly more sweaty than her partner and when she finally had strength, moved to hover over Mei.

"I'm feeling kinda dirty, so I'm gonna take a quick shower and come back to bed." Pecking the girl on the cheek when Yuzu saw the look of displeasure on her face, she spoke again. "You can join me if you want?" Yuzu knew Mei had nothing left in her and the gesture was purely a comfort thing. Despite what she though Mei would do, Mei shook her head and buried her face into the pillows, her hand reaching for the blanket that had been thrown _somewhere_ earlier.

Seeing she was too tired, Yuzu got the blanket for her, and after taking her in a final kiss covered her in the blanket and shuffled out of the room. Not ten minutes had passed when Yuzu came back into the room, hands furiously working to towel dry her hair as fast as possible.

Not bothering to get dressed Yuzu lifted the blanket and slipped in behind Mei, effectively spooning the younger girl. Laying what would be her final kisses that night to her head, Yuzu smiled when she realised Mei was still awake.

"You were quick, I thought I was going to have to try and stay away for a while," Mei said softly as her hands found Yuzu's on her stomach and held them tightly. Nuzzling her head into Mei's, Yuzu smiled "Yeah well I wanted to get back to you as soon as possible, so you can fall asleep in my arms tongiht" Yuzu thought it sounded a little weird to say something like that aloud but she got an affirmative nod from the younger girl.

"I love you Yuzuko, good night," Mei said quietly before letting the last bit of resistance leave her body so she could sleep.

Mei usually only called Yuzu by her full name if she was mad or upset, it worked wonders in an argument for the dark-haired girl to actually say her name, but at the moment Mei sounded so sincere that Yuzu pulled her tighter and stored it to her memories.

"Goodnight Mei, I love you too." With the sleeping girl wrapped tightly in the blonde's embrace, Yuzu felt herself grow happier. Tonight had had a rough start but today had gone great, and at the end of the night, Yuzu felt absolutely no regrets about what she had done earlier in the day. The thought that the woman lying in her arms right now would one day be her fiance then wife filled Yuzu with affection.

* * *

Mei awoke to the strong rocking against her hip and the tight grasp around her body. Her eyes fluttered open to expose a dark room that was full of low moans, though her biggest wonder was why she had been woken up. Looking to the side Mei's face instantly grew red: Yuzu had her arms wrapped around her chest and both her legs wrapped around her thighs, her crotch was grinding furiously against her hip bone most likely because that's where there was most friction. Moving her gaze to Yuzu's face Mei's eyes grew wide seeing that the girl was sound asleep and using her to masturbate.

Mei was frozen on her back unsure of what to do, through the dimly lit room Mei could make out Yuzu's face; her eyes were shut and would occasionally squeeze tight if she gave a particularly hard thrust of her hips, her cheeks were a deep red and her lips partially open, brushing and breathing hot air onto Mei's ear while moans filled the room. The hot breath and Yuzu's lips brushing against her ear where making an unwanted heat arise in her stomach, Mei tried to tilt her head away from the thrusting blonde but her actions were clearly unwarranted by the older girl as her arms tightened and her head moved closer until her lips made direct contact with her ear.

Mei let out a small whimper as she felt Yuzu's hot tongue run along her ear. Raising her hand she managed to squeeze it between her chest and Yuzu's arm and finally between her ear and the blonde's face. Relief washing over her when the blonde's lips were removed from her hypersensitive ear. Gently but firmly Mei pushed the blonde's face away from her own and sighed when the cold air of the room hit her hot ear, but she still had a problem...

"Uhmm...Fuck Me-mm" The moan slipped from the blonde's lips and onto Mei's fingers, her hips increasing in speed as the last words left her mouth cutting her speech off into low pitched moans. Mei assumed the girl was having an extra special dream about her going off what she had just said, but that didn't mean she was completely comfortable with her grinding against her. The pair were still naked from their earlier activities and Mei was _very_ much aware of the wet slits gliding up and down her torso.

One hand was still separating her face from the blonde's the other was scrunching the bed sheets tightly, desperately trying to keep both her desires and discomfort in check. As the blonde pleasured herself on her body, Mei could feel herself getting slightly aroused but she wasn't entirely comfortable with how Yuzu was using her body. It wasn't so much that it was her body but the fact that she was awake, maybe it wouldn't have been so awkward for her if Yuzu was awake but now she was lying awake with her girlfriend's naked, sleeping body fucking her side. Nowhere to go as the grasp around her was too tight and there was no way she was going to fall asleep until the blonde stopped her movements. Mei didn't want to wake Yuzu and make her feel humiliated or ashamed, she knew that this was a completely normal and healthy thing to do and didn't want to put the blonde down for it, but she still wasn't sure about what to do. The only thing that came to mind was just to wait it out, the blonde had had a long night earlier and couldn't have much if any energy left so she shouldn't be much longer.

And Mei seemed to be right as after nearly a minute of muffled moans and wandering hands Yuzu's hips increased in both speed and force again. Mei knew where this was going and tried to stay as still as possible, her eyes screwed shut and she bit her bottom lips.

"Fuck, your... dick...mmm" Yuzu was panting heavily into Mei's hand, her hips never ceasing. Mei's eyes snapped open at her words.

 _Did I hear her right? She did just say 'dick'?_ Confused more than anything, Mei continued to lie like a statue as Yuzu was working to her climax. She had sworn she heard Yuzu say her name earlier before moans overtook her voice, but she most certainly did not have one of those things that Yuzu seemed to be fantasising over. Suddenly Mei felt a surge of painful jealously overcome her, was Yuzu really having a dream about a guy after the night they had shared along with what she was doing to the raven-haired girl at the minute?

Before any more could go through Mei's mind several words flew from the blonde's mouth as her body clenched and shook, her orgasm taking over her. "Uugh Meino, fuck... good..." Yuzu's body convulsed several more times before her grip on Mei slackened slightly but it didn't last long as soon she was tumbling over the bed, just opening her eyes in time to catch herself from falling to the floor. Yuzu was now wide awake and trying to sit upright on the bed. Her chest was hanging over the side with just her legs keeping her on the bed, after several moments of getting her bearings, Yuzu pushed herself up onto the bed and browsed the room still not understanding what had happened.

As soon as the words left Yuzu's mouth and had time to process in Mei's mind, she was washed with anger. Sitting up on the bed Mei didn't hesitate to forcefully push the blonde away when she continued to cling to her, not paying attention to where the girl went as she left the bed without a second thought. Her mind was racing, her only thought was getting herself covered up and leaving the room, not wanting to even look at the blonde after what she heard. Mei was fuming, never had she felt so betrayed by the blonde then she did at this moment. After spending what Mei had thought to be an amazing evening together she finds out that her partner was dreaming about having sex with a guy while using her to stimulate herself. That didn't really scream 'you're the only girl in the world I want' to Mei, and after the claims Yuzu had made earlier that night about never leaving her because all she would ever want was Mei seemed like bullshit now.

Not caring for the slight thud that came from the bed, Mei grabbed the first set of clothes from the floor and after pulling the trousers on, stormed out of the room as she put her shirt on. She did not fail to slam the door on her way out, catching the blondes attention but not stopping when she heard the ragged cry of her name.

Yuzu was left sitting on the bed, her breath was still out of sync and she had worked up quite the sweat. When she had managed to turn herself up on the bed she saw Mei violently pulling on the blonde's joggers that she had been wearing earlier and after prying whichever shirt came to hand first from the floor, started putting that on as Yuzu watched her stomp out of the room.

"Mei?!" Yuzu shouted her name through the room but to no avail as she was only met with the loud bang of the door. For reasons she wasn't quite sure of, Yuzu's legs were weak and she struggled to immediately jump off the bed to go after her partner to find out what had made her so mad at four in the morning. As she sat on the bed Yuzu's mind slowly started drifting a mix of thinking and daydreaming, the pair had only been sleeping for maybe three and a half hours. Very slowly, as she thought about the last thing she remembered doing, Yuzu's eyes grew wide as she realised just what might have occurred while she was asleep.

As she thought that it was the only explanation, Yuzu flopped onto her back an impish grin on her face. _Fuck that was a good dream though._ Reaching a hand down Yuzu's eyes widened again, a slightly worried smile on her face this time. _Shit I actually came, well it was certainly rough enough... besides the point, how did I..._ Looking at her fingers, aside from the slight glisten from where she had just touched Yuzu's fingers were bone dry, not a piece of fluid in sight. _Oh no, please don't be what I think... but fuck was it good._ Yuzu was caught between relishing in the thought of her dream or worrying at the thought that she might have been masturbating on her girlfriend. Then the sight of her girlfriend pushing her away and leaving the room with teary eyes washed through Yuzu's mind and worry took over.

 _Oh shit, Mei._

Yuzu leapt from the bed and after taking a shirt from her wardrobe and putting both clean underwear and shorts on, cautiously walked out of their room towards the living room. The room was still scattered in takeaway boxes that had been knocked over the night before, the coffee table was still covered and the quilt still sitting in a heap on the couch. Seeing that the girl was not in the living room, Yuzu turned to the kitchen where she saw Mei hugging Kumagoro tightly to her chest sitting at the dining table.

The sight of her girlfriend wiped any form of a smile from Yuzu's face. She was hugging the stuffed animal so tight her knuckles were white, it had been less than three minutes since she stormed out of the room and yet her eyes were puffy as tears streamed down her cheeks. Her face that was buried into the bears head raised at the sound of the blonde's voice.

"Mei-" Yuzu started, feeling guilty for being the reason Mei was in such a state, however before she could explain she was cut off by Mei.

"Who is he?" Mei made clear eye contact with the blonde, and instead of her gaze being cold like Yuzu had expected it to be, it was broken. Not a shimmer of light resided in the amethyst eyes, and Yuzu felt her heart break.

* * *

 **Thanks for waiting for this chapter and all the kind words from the last they mean so much to me. I hope you like this extra long chapter and continue to let me know what you think.**

 **:)**


	28. A Break

"Who is he?" Mei made clear eye contact with the blonde, and instead of her gaze being cold like Yuzu had expected it to be, it was broken. Not a shimmer of light resided in the amethyst eyes, and Yuzu felt her heart break.

The crippled look of anguish on the youngers crying face made Yuzu unable to speak, she opened her mouth but nothing came out. Slowly walking forwards, Yuzu reached a hand out to rest on Mei's shoulder but she didn't get within a meter before the girl's pained shout filled the apartment.

"Who is he!?" The voice came out loud and demanding, but to Yuzu, it was as broken as the look in her eyes. It was one thing for Mei to shout at her and even if it didn't happen too often Yuzu knew things would be okay afterward, but never had she seen Mei cry to her out of anger or betrail. This gesture, along with the way she gripped the bear tighter as she pushed herself away from Yuzu in her chair was enough to make Yuzu fear for the worst.

Taking several steps back until she was on the other side of the table, Yuzu sat down and watched as Mei held on to the stuffed animal like a lifeline.

"It... it's not... are you okay?" Yuzu felt so small, her voice was but a whisper as she tried to overcome the look Mei was giving her. She couldn't think straight with Mei crying, all Yuzu wanted to do was wipe her tears away, wrap her in a hug and tell her everything was going to be alright but she couldn't. At least not the first two, she was very aware that Mei wouldn't allow that in her current state but she didn't want the younger girl to think she had lied when she said what she had earlier.

Mei was the only person Yuzu would sleep with, a dream was only a figment of her imagination and just because it happened there doesn't mean she would do anything like it in real life. Somehow she didn't think Mei would stand for her reasoning though.

"Are you ch-cheating on me?" The words left Mei's mouth milliseconds before she broke out into sobs again, "Are you going to-to leave me?" Again after a moment, Mei managed the words before she was consumed by her cries.

 _She's going to leave me just like my father did when I was younger, I'm going to be alone...again. I can't do it again, please don't Yuzu, please._ Mei's thoughts ran to the past and back to the future and the thought of the one person she had opened up to leaving crushed her to pieces. Thinking about what she would be like without the blonde scared Mei, would she return to her grandfather and marry some random man and never be happy, or would she live the rest of her life feeling miserable without the blonde bundle of happiness?

"What? No and no!" Yuzu rose from her chair quickly, her palms lightly smacking off the table. The idea of cheating had never crossed the blonde's mind, just the image of actually sleeping with someone other than Mei made her stomach churn.

"Mei I would never leave you or cheat on you!" Yuzu tried to sound as sincere as possible but she knew Mei wouldn't listen. Yuzu knew Mei was a very headstrong woman when it came to things like this, once she had a thought in her mind it was almost impossible to shake. It would probably have been best just to leave this conversation until the morning once she had had a chance to cool down and actually think, but Yuzu didn't want to let Mei go to sleep with the idea in her mind that she was actively sleeping with other people behind her back.

"Mei it was a dream, I can't control what happens in my dreams you know that. Just because I dreamt of it it has no connection to what I actually want to do. I promise you I meant what I said before, I want you and you alone for the rest of my life some stupid dream doesn't mean anything. At least not to me it doesn't." Yuzu sat back down and spoke calmly as she tried to get her reasoning across to the younger girl before anything got out of hand. She was relieved that Mei had almost entirely stopped crying now and was just sniffling and occasionally wiped her eyes, not that it made it any easier for her to watch.

"You never answered my question, who was he?" Mei spoke again, her voice was still shaky as she waited to hear who the blonde preferred over her. Even if she did say she only wanted to be with Mei she wouldn't be dreaming about a guy, would she?

Yuzu's cheeks immediately became red at Mei's question, the red swollen eyes never left her and she knew she wouldn't get out of this conversation, on a good note, if she didn't answer but the alternative didn't seem too great either.

"No one, I don't know who it was. Mei, please think about this, I have no intention of sleeping with anyone else but you. Please don't do anything stupid because you think I am doing something I'm not." Yuzu spoke quickly but it didn't avert Mei's gaze from her, though it did drop to the peachy hands that were now tapping off the table at a growing rate the longer the silence continued and that was it for Mei, she knew the blonde was lying to her.

Mei felt like she was being torn in half. The girl she loved with her entire being, who she had opened up to out of everyone in the world was lying straight to her face. Her eyes left Yuzu and as a tear trickled down her cheek she looked to her phone that was sitting on the piano, the image of Yuzu saying she loved her over and over again appeared in her mind and her chest clenched in pain. Standing, she left the table without looking at Yuzu still holding the bear in her arm, she walked to the instrument and after picking up her phone continued her stride down the hall past their room to her study.

"Mei, where are you going? Who are you calling, it's four in the morning?" Getting up from her chair Yuzu was quick to follow the sobbing girl down the hall. When she didn't reply Yuzu gently layed a hand to the back of Mei's shoulder as she tried to step into the study. "Mei please-"

"Don't touch me!" The hand didn't last a second on the covered skin, Mei shouted and turned around long enough to see that Yuzu wasn't in the way of the door and shut it with a quiet bang. Before Yuzu could open it and demand to know what was going on Mei locked it and walked to the desk before collapsing in her chair, trying to hold back the tears for a few more minutes so she could make the phone call.

"Mei! What are you doing in there? It better be safe, please just open the door and talk or don't talk you don't even have to look at me but let me know what you are doing." Yuzu knocked lightly on the door, contradictory to her raised voice that was full of panic. She had never seen Mei in this type of situation before she had no idea what thoughts were going through her mind at the minute. If Yuzu was positive Mei was cheating on her it would not be pretty thoughts going on in her mind and even if Mei was mad at her Yuzu wouldn't risk something happening to the girl.

Her questioning soon stopped at the sound of Mei talking but not to her, Yuzu stopped and listened, her heart sank.

"Hello, it's Aihara Mei... Yes his granddaughter, I appreciate that it's late but if I could speak with him for a moment..." Yuzu could hear the strain and guilt in the girl's voice as she listened but she stayed quiet.

"Hello Grandfather, I apologise for the late call, and for waking you," Mei said after being on hold for more than two minutes while the line was transferred to her grandfather. She felt nervous for what she was about to ask, she had rarely, almost never, asked him for anything but now she needed him and was worried about what he would say.

"Mei, what is it, I'm sure you are aware that I have meetings and a school to run in an hour?" His voice came through the phone groggy but Mei could tell he was slightly annoyed.

"I...I-I Never mind, I apologise for waking you at such a time. Good night." Mei was practically shaking, her fear getting the better of her as she turned to a stammering mess and tried to end the call, but she didn't in time to hear the stern voice turn concerned and warned her to stay on the line.

"Don't hand up. I'm sorry for my tone I've had little sleep tonight, what's wrong Mei?" His voice was calmer now that he heard the breathing on the other end of the phone and knew that his granddaughter hadn't left out of fear of him.

After a few moments of silence, Mei spoke again, feeling slightly relieved that her grandfather wanted to hear her out.

"I- we... If it isn't too much to ask would it be okay if I came to visit you over the weekend?" Mei's voice seemed slightly calmer now that she was talking to her grandfather and for that Yuzu was grateful, but she didn't like what she was hearing. Was Mei really going to run away to his house over the weekend just to avoid her?

"Of course, you are always welcome here Mei but why couldn't this wait until later, what aren't you telling me?" His voice although concerned, Mei heard the little spike of anger that she wasn't letting him know why.

"I understand that it may not be convenient but I was hoping if it wasn't too much trouble... If I could come over now. I am not in the right frame of mind to be driving and Yuzu might need the car over the weekend, so would you be able to send someone to pick me up? I know it is a lot to ask but the trains aren't on at this hour and I don't have any other way of getting there." Mei was struggling more than she wanted to admit and she knew her grandfather could hear the weakness in her voice.

After a moment Mei heard several buttons being pushed on the other side of the phone and she was put on hold for nearly a minute before the deep voice returned.

"I have a chauffeur who lives about twenty minutes from you, I have contacted him and he is leaving now. Be ready outside for him to pick you up, the plate number is xxx xxxx make sure you get in the right vehicle." After several more moments of silence, he continued. "Is everything okay Mei?" The usually stern man was showing his weak and caring side to his granddaughter, he would never intentionally let any harm come to her and the fact that she was being put in a position where she felt she needed to leave her home at such an hour worried him.

"I'm fine Grandfather, thank you for worrying but it is just a small problem. Thank you for arranging a lift for me, I'll be sure to bring my current paperwork over to discuss with you while I'm there. I'll see you soon." Mei appreciated his concern but she didn't want to burden the man with silly girlfriend troubles, plus she would not be comfortable discussing such a topic with her grandfather.

"If you insist, I'll see you soon good night." With that, the man hung up and Mei let herself sink into her chair while she gathered her thoughts.

"Mei?! Open the door, I won't ask again." Yuzu's voice came booming through the door breaking Mei's train of thought. Sure enough, she had most likely been knocking since she ended her phone call, but she had been a little too caught up in her own mind to realise. The blonde that she loved dearly had given her the most amazing night ever, one Mei thought she would never forget but that had quickly changed after what had happened.

Given Yuzu did say she had no control over her dreams and Mei knew this was true, all might have been fine after a day or so if it had just been left there, but Yuzu for whatever reason refused to tell Mei who it was she was sleeping with; If that didn't say 'If I tell you, you are just going to kick off because it's someone you don't like' Mei didn't know what would. Sure Yuzu was entitled to her privacy but when it was something like this and she so bluntly lied to her, Mei couldn't think straight. What reason did she have for hiding it? It was just making a bigger mess and if Yuzu wasn't going to tell her the truth then she didn't want to be around the blonde, no matter how much it was going to hurt her.

Still, Mei felt she believed her girlfriend, she wanted to believe her girlfriend, when she said she wasn't cheating or going to leave her for anyone, that part was true but the lying she couldn't stand.

Packing up her laptop and gather several files from her desk, Mei finally opened the door to reveal a red-faced Yuzu. As soon as the door opened Mei saw Yuzu scan her entire body and noticed after she had looked Mei over a few times that her eyes were glued to her wrist that was turned inwards holding her laptop to her chest. "I didn't do anything like that," Mei said, walking away after she saw relief wash over the blonde's face. Sure she was extremely mad at her partner but she wasn't cruel.

She listened as Yuzu followed her down the hall with rushed footsteps, "Mei I'm really sorry for shouting so loud, I was just worried you weren't thinking properly. Are you really going to Gramps for the weekend? You don't have to, listen I know you are upset but I promise It didn't mean anything at all to me." Still, no reply came from the younger girl as she made her way into their room and after giving the bed a dirty look, walked to her wardrobe and started planning an outfit to wear.

"Please Mei, you are mad at me I can see that but you don't have to leave. If it's because you don't want to see me then fine, I'll sleep on the couch and you can go back to sleep in your own bed and if you really want I'll be up and ready for class before you even get out of bed. You don't have to go to Gramps to get away from me, are you going to say anything?" Yuzu was standing behind Mei trying to get any response from her at all but she got none as Mei continued to pull several pieces of clothing from her wardrobe and place them into a duffle bag.

Picking up the last set of clothes, Mei gave Yuzu one look before leaving the room and going to the bathroom to get changed. Before she closed the bathroom door she turned to Yuzu who was still following her through the house, "I'm going to Grandfathers for the weekend, I have some work to discuss with him. Someone will be here to pick me up in around ten minutes, I'll see you when I'm back."

"What! What do you mean? You can't just run away from this Mei I don't even know what you are so mad about, talk to me or wait until the morning, don't just leave." Yuzu knew Mei was upset but she really thought the girl was acting irrationally here, what did she gain from leaving and not talking about it or figuring out what would make it better. After a few minutes, Mei came out of the bathroom in her casual outfit of a sweater and long skirt, and what Yuzu thought looked like a fresh set of tear stains on the girl's cheeks.

 _Maybe I'm being too harsh about this, she is clearly really upset but I don't know how to reassure her._ Mei walked past the blonde and picked up her bag before going to the kitchen to start making herself a coffee.

"Mei, its four in the morning you don't need a coffee." Yuzu saw her hesitate for a moment before putting the coffee back in the cupboard and getting a glass of water instead. Thinking that maybe she was starting to calm down, Yuzu risked getting closer to the girl and stood in the entryway to the kitchen. "Please Mei, I'm asking you to stay. What do you need me to do for you to do that?" Yuzu looked into Mei's puffy eyes and was glad to see the younger girl holding eye contact, but Yuzu could see distrust in her eyes and didn't know why.

"It was a dream Mei, I can't control what happens there but I can here. I don't want you to leave I want you to stay and talk to me about why this is upsetting you so much, let me fix it." Yuzu pleaded with the taller girl who was now opening her mouth to speak. It came out croaky, practically telling Yuzu she had been crying again in the bathroom.

"I know you can't control your dreams Yuzu, and I can see you are sorry but I want to know who it was and you keep lying to me about it. That's what I want to make it better, I want you to be honest with me." Mei could feel herself getting worked up again, she didn't want to run away like a child but she didn't want Yuzu to think she would just sit there while she lied. All she wanted was for Yuzu to tell her the truth, over the past weeks Mei felt Yuzu was being reserved about certain phone calls and keeping secrets from her until the last minute or until she had no choice but to tell her and she had had enough. The truth, without having to pry it out of the blonde, was all Mei wanted and she wasn't staying if she wasn't going to get it.

"I can't tell you what I don't know Mei. If I'm totally honest I really don't want to get into the specifics but the dream was pretty blurry. I remember it but I don't at the same time if that makes any sense at all." Yuzu's cheeks were pink as pinkie pie and she was being honest. Mei scowled.

"You seemed to know who it was when you were moaning out his name." The words cut like a knife through the kitchen and it took Yuzu a moment to get over the sound of dread in Mei's words. "Yeah the person name was Meino but I don't even know anyone called that and you know that as well. I don't know Mei, maybe I saw the name on an add or a meme or something yesterday but I'm not lying. Is that enough for you, will you stay now?" Yuzu was becoming slightly infuriated with the way she was having to explain herself to Mei. So what she had a dream and didn't feel like talking about it, what was the big deal?

Mei watched Yuzu and she could tell that everything that came out of her mouth was true but she also knew that she was keeping something hidden. Whether it was in her eyes or the way she hid her hands behind her back Mei didn't know, but she knew something wasn't being told.

"I'm afraid Grandfather has already arranged a car to pick me up and I can't cancel as it is too short notice and would be extremely rude of me. Like I said before I will see you when I return on Sunday evening." Mei's voice had turned slightly cold as she spoke to Yuzu and Yuzu heard it too.

"No Mei, it isn't rude at all you are still just trying to get away from me. Why can't you just take my answer and stay?!" Yuzu's raised voice was it for both girls. Yuzu had had enough of the interrogation and Mei wanted to leave as soon as possible. Pushing past Yuzu, Mei picked up her bag and left to the door where her shoes and jacket were on in record time, keys in hand she turned to look at Yuzu who now had red agitated eyes. With a single look back, Mei opened the door and left. Yuzu watched the door for nearly a minute hoping she would walk back through it but it never came and the tears started rolling down her cheeks.

The door nob turned and Yuzu's head shot up to see Mei standing looking at her, hope and relief washed over Yuzu as she practically ran towards Mei but she was stopped as Mei raised her hand to her chest making a gesture for the blonde to stop.

"I'm sorry Yuzu, I forgot to tell you something before I left," Mei spoke quietly as Yuzu took several steps back and tried to wipe the tears from her cheeks. "I wanted to tell you that while I'm gone for the three days I don't want you to drink, I don't want you drinking yourself stupid because you are upset like you have in the past. I will know if you have and I don't think any more lies is what we need at the minute... Goodbye." Mei spoke somewhat softly, even when she was furiously mad at her she couldn't risk Yuzu putting herself in any danger while she was gone.

With that, and one last look into the regret covered emerald eyes, Mei closed the door behind her as she left. A minute later Yuzu heard a car door close and the sound of an engine fading away made her drop to her knees and cry.

* * *

 **Hey, everyone, I hope you like this chapter, it is one of the shorter ones of this story but I needed to recover from writing the past couple of chapters.**

 **I wanted to thank people for the comments on the last chapter, I wasn't sure if it was worth the 20 thousand words, but reading what some of you had to say really made me happy and it motivates me to keep writing.**

 **Anyways I hoped you liked it and continue to read this story and let me know what you think. :)**


	29. Feeling Alone

Yuzu was frozen on her knees in front of the door for nearly ten minutes with the false hope that the younger girl would walk back through it, but it never came and Yuzu eventually managed to pull herself up against the wall as she continued to sob.

She didn't know why she felt this way about it. Her heart clenched every time she thought back to her girlfriend sitting in the chair crying her eyes out, or refusing to be touched in any way by her and Yuzu knew it was her fault. Yet here she was, crying like a heartbroken teenager. This didn't make any sense to Yuzu, she was the one that had hurt Mei, drove her away, and yet she felt like Mei had left her which technically she did but only for a break over the weekend.

A break was what Mei left for, to get away from the blonde for a bit, but Yuzu felt like she had been walked out on. She had never seen Mei like this before and never had she upset her enough that she felt like she had to leave for several days just because she didn't want to see her.

She would be back in three days, Mei said that, but Yuzu felt so alone as if her partner was never coming back. She needed Mei, Yuzu felt like she couldn't breath knowing she had driven Mei so far away that she couldn't stand the sight of her.

It was self-inflicted, it was her fault, nothing could change that but she still felt hollow inside. Was Mei really going to come back? If she did would she even forgive Yuzu or would it be awkward silence the entire time?

Slowly getting to her feet, Yuzu made her way to their room to get her phone before sluggishly walking back to the living room where she curled up under the covers on the couch. She had to try again, get Mei to come back. Drying her eyes and clearing her throat as best she could, Yuzu pressed Mei's caller ID and waited with knots of anxiety in her stomach. Just before Yuzu knew the call was going to cut off and go to voice mail the line picked up and she heard the soft sound of an engine.

It was silence on both sides of the phone for nearly a minute, Yuzu could feel herself clamming up but she had to do this.

"Mei?" Her voice was quiet, almost inaudible. The silence continued for several more seconds on the other side of the phone before Mei spoke, and like Yuzu expected it was slightly cold but most of all it was still as chipped as before.

 _So she's been crying too..._

"Yes Yuzu, what is it?" Yuzu felt herself cringe at how she had put Mei in such a state, but she wanted to fix it.

"Come home, please... I need you," Yuzu buried herself deeper under the covers as if it would give her some sort of security. She heard a sigh on the other side of the phone, it wasn't a heavy sigh more like a sad one that weighed a great amount of thought.

"Yuzu, I already told you I can't,"

"Why not? I'm sorry Mei, I really am so please come home." Yuzu tried again, she really needed the younger girl home at the moment. She felt like her heart was on the verge of collapsing.

"I asked you to be honest with me and you couldn't. Even when I asked you a second and third time you still couldn't tell me the entire truth, you do it more than you think and I just wanted you to be completely honest with me for once, but you couldn't. Unless you have had a change of heart in the past twenty minutes that is." Mei started off rather quiet but by the end of her sentence, Yuzu could hear the anger and annoyance in her voice, not that the blonde was completely sure of the times she was being accused of.

"Mei I don't know what other times you are talking about but I did tell you the truth... I don't want to fight with you, last night was really nice and I don't want to ruin it by fighting over something like this. You don't have to go to Gramp's place, just come back home... please, Mei," Yuzu, unlike Mei, had started off stronger than when she finished, she felt like she was on the side of a losing battle.

Mei sat for a moment and debated with herself whether she should recite the list to the blonde she had in her mind of all the times Yuzu had kept something from her. But it didn't exactly seem like the right time to be putting the girl down for that.

"I don't think we need to get into that at the moment but as of now, I believe I am closer to Grandfathers house than our's and unless you can tell me who it was, and I know you know who it was, then I'm going to his house. I know you are upset Yuzu and I don't want to leave after last night, but you have gotten into a habit of keeping things from me and I've had enough. I want to be in bed with you sleeping right now but I won't just sit there and let you lie to me again. I know you are keeping something from me and I don't know if it is trust issues or it's someone we both know and you don't want to tell me but I don't care. Until you tell me who it was I'll be at Grandfathers over the weekend." Mei felt bad about what she was saying but every word of it was true, she didn't want Yuzu to think she didn't care about her and that's why she wasn't giving in to her pleas but she couldn't just give in.

"I don't lie to you, Mei," Yuzu said but her voice was still weak, she didn't want this argument she just wanted her girlfriend to come home.

"Yuzu, you kept your fear and story about your father and the piano from me until I had to force it out of you-" Mei stated but she was cut off as Yuzu's voice grew loud for the first time. "You can't use that against me, Mei! That was a problem of mine, and I didn't lie to you about that!" Although she wasn't shouting her voice had taken a defensive tone at her past being brought up and used against her. Mei, however, was quick to interject her argument with one of her own.

"Yes, it was a problem of yours yet you felt you could tell Matsuri and Harumi but not me, your damn girlfriend. Who you are supposed to lean on for support, on top of that I asked you multiple times if everything was okay and every time you said yes." Mei said bitterly. If Yuzu really wanted to have this conversation she would, but it would do nothing to get her back to their house that morning.

"Okay, fine I get it but I already told you that I was sorry for that and I only didn't tell you because I didn't want to stop you from playing. Besides, that was almost two months ago Mei," Yuzu lost most of her defensiveness, she wanted Mei to come home and if she needed to get all this off her chest Yuzu would take it.

"When we went to buy the car you told me about your job, that you refused to tell me about until you already had it because you didn't want me to say no. You deliberately waited to tell me until my opinion would be useless. The night before that you had a strange phone call with someone, and after you tried to tell me that it was just Catty, I asked you to promise you weren't lying you didn't answer me. Oh and I spoke to Tyler a few days ago, you said you were going out to lunch with him when I asked you to come to the music lessons with me, well you should have picked a better friend to lie about it because I saw straight through him. Now, on top of all of this, you tell me you love me over and over again only to dream about sleeping with someone else and _lie_ to me about knowing who it was. I think all of those count as lying to me." Mei could feel herself getting worked up just talking about it, but it needed to be said. If Yuzu thought it was okay just to lie to her all the time she was wrong.

"Mei you know exactly why I lied about meeting Tyler, I didn't want to let you down... But I'm sorry about all the rest of them, I didn't mean for any of them to come across as lying. The job thing I knew you would say no but I really needed that job and I couldn't risk you saying no, I never meant for you to feel like this because of it." Yuzu felt like an ant, so small. She hadn't realised how many times in the past two months she had kept things from Mei, given some of them were related to her troubles with the piano and she thought those were somewhat acceptable excuses. Mei wasn't even supposed to hear her making that appointment so she couldn't do anything but lie about it, you know it wasn't as if she could have just said 'Oh yeah it was an appointment to buy you an engagement ring' could she?

"The dream... I don't want to tell you because I'm embarrassed Mei, It has nothing to do with lying or not trusting you. I promise." Yuzu could feel the tears prickling at her eyes again, Mei listing every time she had made the younger girl feel like she was being lied to was making Yuzu feel like a failure as her girlfriend. She didn't think it was normal for couples to be able to list things off the top of their heads so quickly, along with this Yuzu could hear the anger in Mei's voice.

"Well... It looks like I'm not coming home then." Mei spoke coldly through the phone. She had sympathy for the older girl, sure if she had had a sex dream she would be embarrassed about telling Yuzu who it was as well, but if it was to stop her from leaving Mei felt she would tell Yuzu in a heartbeat. Yet Yuzu wasn't willing to do the same for her?

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to go Yuzu, I'll see you on Sunday like planned. Goodbye," Mei spoke after a long silence, her voice came across more strained that she would have liked.

"No Mei, plea-" Before she could finish the line went dead and all Yuzu could hear was her sniffling under the thick duvet.

 _She didn't say 'I love you' and she didn't let me say it... why does she have to be like this?_ Yuzu thought as she dropped her phone to her chest. Yuzu said why she didn't want to tell her but she still refused to come back, then she didn't say those three magic words that would have told Yuzu that everything was alright. No, now she was curled up under their quilt letting endless tears fall down her cheeks, before finally tiring herself out and falling asleep.

Yuzu awoke to the beeping of her phone, the lit up screen burned her dry eyes as she squinted at the vibrating device. After several failed attempt of opening her eyes wide enough to see the screen the ringing stopped and the phone went black. With her rather rude awakening over, Yuzu slowly uncurled her stiff body from the ball under the duvet where she had fallen asleep the previous night, her back ached and her legs were tense as she tried to stretch them out.

After several more seconds of adjusting her eyes and getting into a more comfortable position, she seemed to remember just why she was there in the first place and when the realisation hit she sunk back down under the covers to feel at least some form of warmth. Her phone beeped again, this time the chime was for her messages. Raising her phone to her face Yuzu turned on her phone and watched as the list of notifications shuffled down her screen, the most recent being a text from Harumin.

Before she attempted to read the message from her friend, Yuzu glanced to the top of her phone and was slightly shocked to see that it was already past one in the afternoon, meaning she had missed her class today.

Groaning, Yuzu flicked to the bottom of her list and slowly started pinging away all the futile notifications, some from games some saying who had liked her posts but nothing of great importance. When she was finished she had three messages and two missed calls she actually needed to respond to. The two missed calls Yuzu saw were from Harumi and Yuzu guessed that was what had woken her up, but her throat was dry and she didn't really feel like talking to anyone at the moment. Moving to her messages Yuzu saw three names in the dark back: Harumin, Jasmin and Mama.

Harumin: Why aren't you answering your phone?

Yuzucchi?

Hello?

You said you wanted to meet me for lunch after your class today, where are you? I'm waiting in the cafe for you.

YUZUCCHI! I've been sitting alone for like ten minutes I look weird as hell, are you nearly here?

Jasmin: Hey, just wondering what you had planned to do this weekend I'm looking forward to it. Oh, and btw thought you might like to know that Mei skipped class today, that or you know she was ill, anyways I took some notes and thought if she wanted them I could lend them to her when we meet up this weekend. Let me know if she does kay :)

Mama: Good morning Yuzu, I didn't know if you had class so I didn't want to call but I was wondering what you are doing for Mei's birthday? It's next Friday and I wanted to know if you two are planning on coming down to see me and her father, or we can come up and see you. Can you call me when you get this, please? Love you xx

Thinking it best to deal with the most immediate problem first, Yuzu pulled up Harumin's messages again and started typing. She had completely forgotten about agreeing to meet up with her friend for lunch and with how she was feeling after what had happened early that morning, she didn't really want to.

'Hey, Harumin sorry I didn't pick up, I only just woke up. I don't think I can come out today though. I'm really sorry, please don't be too mad x'

Sending the text as quickly as possible Yuzu didn't have to wait long until her phone beeped again.

'Thought you had class?' Yuzu sighed.

'Yeah I did but I slept in and I missed it. I'm not feeling up to leaving the house so can we reschedule?' Yuzu felt Mei was already mad enough at her and probably wouldn't appreciate Yuzu spreading what had happened the night before.

'I don't have much choice, do I? Is everything alright, did it go okay with Mei last night? She didn't get mad at you for asking what was bothering her did she?'

Yuzu smiled at the message, it was sweet that her friend cared about her like this.

'No she was really good about it all, she opened up about it and we talked it all out. I'm fine just going to spend today chilling.' Yuzu sent the text and after getting a few more texts from her friend confirming that Mei hadn't made Yuzu upset after what the blonde had done for her that afternoon, gave a brief goodbye letting Yuzu move onto her next set of messages.

Yuzu looked at the text from Jasmin, it made sense that Mei didn't show up for class today but Yuzu didn't think now would be an appropriate time to meet with the girl. She already had Mei thinking she was dreaming about sleeping with other people, now didn't seem like a good time to be meeting up with the one girl Mei suspected wanted to be with the blonde.

Thinking for a few moments before she started typing, 'hey, thanks for the offer but Mei is actually away visiting her Grandfather so I don't think she will need them. Also, I'm sorry to do this but some stuff came up and I can't meet with you this weekend. Can we do it another time?'

Yuzu felt bad blowing Jasmin off when she had done nothing wrong, but patching things up with Mei was more important than getting lunch with her friend.

After several minutes of dazing in and out of thought about what Mei might have been doing right now, the familiar chime brought her focus back to the phone. Reading the quick text from Jasmin saying she understood and that it was fine Yuzu put her phone down and started up at the ceiling.

Would Mei still be mad at her? It has been almost twelve hours since Yuzu had last spoken to her, maybe that was enough time for the younger girl to cool off. Yuzu was sure that Mei had stayed up once she got to her grandfathers, by the time she got there he would be up and doing his morning routine before heading to the school. Yuzu assumed that Mei would have showered had something to eat and went to the school with him, got caught up and most likely attend whatever meetings the eldest Aihara had planned for the day. She hoped that Mei would have given coming back home some thought but knowing the younger girl, she was probably doing everything in her power to avoid thinking about it.

Yuzu couldn't call her mother as she had no idea what her and Mei's plans for Friday were or if they would even be on speaking terms by then. Yuzu prayed to God that they would, but she couldn't make a decision about what they were going to be doing if Mei wasn't here and Yuzu knew her mother would want to talk to Mei while she was on the phone and that would probably be slightly awkward.

Taking her phone bank in her hands, Yuzu brought up her mother's messages. 'Morning Mama, sorry for the late reply. About Mei's birthday, we haven't talked about it yet so I don't know what we will be doing. I'll message or call you to tell you what we have planned once we've figured it out. Love you too x' Sending the message, Yuzu felt herself frowning when she read over it again. She hadn't discussed it with Mei and she didn't know if Mei would even talk to her properly about it. Yuzu thought it would be best to wait until Mei was back in the house before they started making the plans for her birthday.

Yuzu wasn't sure how she was going to spend her day. She had already missed her class and cancelled her plans for not only today but for the entire weekend, so she really had nothing to do. She didn't think Mei would be persuaded to come home unless she told her the one thing Yuzu didn't want to, and most probably wouldn't. She already felt like crap from the argument last night and the guilt of driving her loved one away was gnawing away at her, she just wanted to forget about it until Mei was back in the house.

She had thought about trying to study but every time she tried to think of something it always linked back to the younger girl, no matter how hard she tried not to. She didn't want to spend the say in their bedroom as that would just act as a reminder of what had happened, Yuzu wanted to try and not think about it for as long as possible hopefully until the younger girl returned home at whatever time on Sunday evening.

Several minutes of thought and a quick bathroom break later, Yuzu sat back down underneath the covers and after a moment of consideration, started up her ps4 and began playing one of her games. It seemed like a good past time and a way of trying to avert her focus toward something else. Yuzu knew she was the one in the wrong, she had hurt the younger girl probably more than she ever had in the past few months and tonight had obviously been her breaking point, but if Yuzu didn't want to explain to Mei what had happened in her dream then why should she? So here she planned to sit for the next two days, grinding away on her video games and ordering take out. Mei wasn't here and had made it perfectly clear to Yuzu that she wouldn't be coming home until Sunday, so that meant she could order take away in peace without having to justify herself to her girlfriend.

 **Hours Later**

It was nearing the late hours of the evening and Yuzu could really feel herself starting to get hungry. She had effectively stopped her negative thoughts about her relationship and for the past several hours had been completely focused on her game. Like she had planned she had ordered take out and was expecting it to be here any minute now, Yuzu loved cooking, it was one of her favourite hobbies but she wasn't exactly in a cooking mood.

As if by magic the doorbell rang and Yuzu felt she had to use her entire will to peel herself away from the covers which she had hidden under all day, just to answer the door. Paying, grabbing some chopsticks, and a drink Yuzu made her way back to the sofa that was starting to have a small indentation of where her unmoving form had been all day.

When sitting down the blonde gave the living room a quick look over; there were containers and cardboard tubs from the previous night's food everywhere, and because Mei had bought so much several of the sea of boxes had fallen onto the floor or were toppled over. Nothing was spilling onto the carpet, which Yuzu thanked God for, but it certainly didn't look clean. Shrugging her shoulders, Yuzu pushed some things aside on the corner of the table to place her can of juice and shuffled back into her cocoon. Taking several minutes out of her game while she ate, Yuzu busied herself by watching a video on her phone.

 **Hours Later**

Again several hours later Yuzu could feel herself starting to get tired, with a quick glance to the clock she saw it was already gaining two in the morning and she should have been sleeping several hours ago. It was tempting for her to stay up, that would mean she would be able to sleep in tomorrow most likely until the afternoon and then just repeat what she had done today, but she knew it wasn't the right thing to do. But then again, who was here to stop her and Yuzu really didn't have any plans for tomorrow so there was nothing standing in her way... apart from her guilty conscience. Was this all just a way of rebelling against Mei after she left when Yuzu made countless apologies and pleas for her to stay? Perhaps, but Yuzu wasn't even sure if she was mad at Mei, the girl hadn't really done anything wrong at all. It was all Yuzu, but then why would she be acting this way?

Shaking the confusing thoughts from her mind, Yuzu managed to bargain one more hour with herself before she finally turned the play station off and settled back under the covers. She planned on sleeping here until Mei got back and if when Mei got back she didn't want to sleep in the same bed as the blonde, then Yuzu would continue sleeping here. The couch wasn't the best for lying down on let alone sleeping on, Yuzu was well aware of the consequences of her actions but she didn't even want to go into their bedroom at the minute.

The lights were already off, leaving Yuzu lying on her back looking up at the pitch black room. After staring at the tv screen for over twelve hours Yuzu felt her eyes were almost burning, but it had nothing on the throb that had arisen in her chest since she turned her game off.

Using the game as a distraction was working wonders but as soon as it was turned off and Yuzu was left to just drift off to sleep, all she could think about was Mei's crying face. The way she left without so much as a hug, or her eagerness to get away from the blonde repeated in her mind. An all too familiar feeling of hollowness resided in Yuzu's chest, only now it had nothing to do with an instrument, but the loneliness that went with it. It had been months since Yuzu hadn't slept with Mei beside her, the last time Yuzu slept somewhat soundly as Mei had only gone to her Grandfathers for a single night and when Mei left she made sure Yuzu knew she would be back the next day. This time, however, Yuzu had literally been left crying, Mei had left in a simar state and Yuzu didn't think things would be okay when she returned. It would be days of tension and stiflingly awkward conversations, and the whole lying facade Mei thought Yuzu had going on wasn't doing anything in making Yuzu think things might be better in a few days.

Yuzu had all but begged Mei to come home last time they spoke and all Mei could think about was how Yuzu had lied repeatedly to her. When Mei eventually did come home and even if they did sort everything out would Mei think Yuzu was always going to be lying? Would Mei trust the blonde again? Yuzu didn't know any of these answers but the questions swirled in her mind making her tired eyes well with the same guilt laced tears as the night before.

 _Mei is never going to truly believe anything I say ever again. What if she comes back and doesn't love me like she did before or what if she wants to go on a break or even break up?_

Yuzu felt her mind was purposely trying to make her feel like crap, putting all these ideas and scenarios in her mind of what Mei might resort to once she returned.

In her hand, she grasped tightly to her phone, every now and again she would power it on and look at the beauty that was smiling awkwardly at the camera holding a small leather book in front of her chest. It was a birthday present Yuzu had gotten for her partner the previous year and Yuzu knew Mei was overjoyed about it, so much so that she agreed with little to no resistance to getting her photo with the book. Yuzu remembered spending months on end trying to hunt down this limited edition book. It was the final volume of a series Mei had been reading for years and Yuzu knew that it was her favourite series, however when the final volume was released there were only five hundred copies; Perfect leather bound hardcover, gold-rimmed pages and a signature and short personalised message from the author. Yuzu was as excited to give it to Mei as Mei was when she opened it.

Every time Yuzu looked at the photo through teary eyes, she adored the pink-cheeked smiling girl. Mei had been ecstatic for days after her birthday, and Yuzu wished things were as straight forward and happy as they were this time last year. Mei would presumably still be mad on her birthday and probably wouldn't enjoy her day at all if she was trying to avoid the blonde, and Yuzu hated that she was the reason for ruining such in an important day for the younger girl.

However, everything had to come to an end and Yuzu was eternally grateful when her body finally passed put due to exhaustion.

* * *

"Yuzu why do you always lie to me, are you trying to push me away?" Mei said from the bedroom door as she looked at the blonde who was stuck on their bed, unable to move despite all the squirming and fight she gave.

"No Mei, please I don't want that. I love you, but certain things I can't tell you about or it will ruin a really big surprise. Mei please!" Yuzu cried out to the girl who was glaring at her menacingly. _Why the fuck can't I move? No, don't leave you just got back..._

"Some way to show someone you love them." Mei scoffed as she took a step closer to the girl on the bed. "If I was to truly say what I thought was going on here, I would assume you were sleeping with someone behind my back. It would explain the mysterious phone calls and why you didn't want them calling, the impure thoughts going around in your head about other people. I don't think you truly love me at all." Mei took another step closer, her face tilted down to the blonde casting her face in a dark shadow.

"No Mei, no I promise I'm not seeing anyone else besides you I-" Yuzu wriggled and tried to move but under the intense cold stare she was frozen, and before she could get a full sentence out she was silenced by the younger girl who was now at the edge of the bed.

"'I promise I'm okay Mei,' 'I promise I am meeting Tyler' ' I promise I didn't know who it was' you promised all those times yet you were lying through your teeth, this time is no different. You don't truly love me, I've turned a blind eye long enough. Goodbye Yuzu," Yuzu couldn't stop her eyes from tearing up at the words, and as Mei spoke the last line she was at the door of the room and walking out of it. Yuzu still couldn't move, no matter how hard she tried her body was stuck in place like glue.

"Mei? Mei! MEI!" Yuzu screamed and cried out the girl's name, paralysed and unable to do anything she continued to shout at the door but nothing came through it. Suddenly Yuzu felt her body being pushed back onto the bed, she was relieved that she could move but she couldn't stop herself from moving, almost as if she was under some sort of possession.

When she was finally flush on the mattress, Yuzu felt herself slowly turning to her side before a voice filled the room, only she couldn't turn herself around to hear it. Though when a wrinkled, stone cold hand was placed on her shoulder and the icy voice filled the room Yuzu was somewhat thankful she couldn't turn around to see whatever the hell was lying behind her at the moment.

"She's never coming back, you did this, you pushed her so far away without even realising it. How stupid can you be?" The voice was that of a woman, and the hand that had been placed on her shoulder was slowly making its way across her collarbone toward her neck.

Yuzu tried to speak but her throat seemed to clam up and suddenly she felt as though she couldn't breathe. The hand was now wrapped tightly around her neck, the cold aura she could feel from behind her was emerging closer and closer then Yuzu felt a body push against her back and sever pieces of salt and pepper hair fell into her field of vision.

"She's gone, you will be nothing without her, this feeling of cold suffocation; Get used to it because you will feel this for the rest of your lonely little life." As the cold words continued along with the strength of the creature's hand Yuzu frantically tried to move her body from the woman's grasp but no matter how hard she tried her body would not move an inch. Tears fell and her chest constricted but that was the only thing Yuzu could feel moving, her vision was blurred and as she felt herself losing consciousness her body started turning in the direction of the body behind her. Yuzu had seen and felt the hand of whoever the fuck was in her bed and she did not want to see the face of who it belonged to.

 _No, no, no this can't be true. No, don't turn around!_

Yuzu's eyes sprung open and she took in a desperate gasp of air, but then she froze. Something was pressed up against her back, her eyes quickly shut again. She could feel how hot and sweaty she was and the fact that she was entirely underneath the duvet didn't help but she couldn't move. The images from her recent nightmare flooded her mind and the fear of who was behind her had her frozen in fear.

 _Mei, I need Mei_

Whenever Yuzu had a nightmare she would call Mei to turn the light on and she would be comforted as best as possible by the younger girl, only this time she wasn't here and Yuzu felt her heart rate increasing with every second a new possibility for her demise flashed through her mind.

Receiving the courage to ever so slightly move her hand, Yuzu with her eyes still squeezed shut squeezed the bottom of her phone and waited for the small signal to let her know her phone's assistance was listening to her. Whispering just lough enough that the phone would detect her voice, Yuzu spoke the minimal amount of words in fear of aggravating the creature she could feel on her back. "Call Cutie Patootie AKA SnuggleBear" After she spoke Yuzu held her breath in anticipation waiting to see if those would be her final words, but they weren't and soon she heard the ring through the speaker and managed to move the phone to her ear.

Her heart felt like it was going to beat out of chest it was beating so fast. Have you ever woken up from a nightmare and fear the thing that haunted you there was lying in wait for when you opened your eyes? Well, that is exactly how Yuzu felt at the minute and the one person aside from her mother who would make her feel better at the moment was Mei, the person she trusted with her life.

After too many rings, each one Yuzu cringed thinking someone else was going to hear it, Yuzu finally heard the line pick up. Yuzu heard the ruffle of covers and a slight cough before Mei's voice came through the phone slightly worried as to why the blonde was calling her at four thirty in the morning.

"Yuzu what's wrong, are you okay?" It was obvious by her tone that Mei could hear the blonde's elevated breathing through the speaker, Mei after only just waking up was fully away and sitting up in bed. She didn't know what she thought had happened to the blonde but it certainly wasn't normal for anyone to call at this time in the morning and the irrational breathing and silence on the other end didn't do much in aiding her mind.

"I... Need you to turn the light on." Yuzu's voice came out as a whisper just like before, she still had her eyes shut and the phone was pressed tightly against her face. Yuzu knew it was impossible for Mei to do what she had asked but by saying those words Mei would know exactly what was wrong with the older girl without Yuzu having to panic that she was going to die any second by the creepy woman she suspected was lying in wait behind her.

Mei, however, felt her entire body relax at the words, falling onto her back and repositioning her head on the pillows Mei reached out and put her lamp on before giving a content sigh. "You're fine Yuzu, nothings going to happen to you it wasn't real it was just a dream; Nobodies there I promise, just breath." Mei felt relieved that nothing serious had happened to the girl but that didn't mean she was completely at ease with the situation. She knew how scared Yuzu could be after a nightmare and didn't take any sort of pleasure knowing that Yuzu would be curled up somewhere in their apartment paralysed still, unable to breathe properly all out of fear.

"Be behind m-me," Yuzu squeaked and risked trying to move her back forwards towards the couch, but let out a whimpered cry and tremble when she felt the object follow her movement and continue pushing against her.

At this point, Mei could clearly hear her girlfriend's cries through the phone and was almost thankful she couldn't see her, for if she did the sight would have broken Mei.

"Yuzu, listen to me. I'm right here and no matter what you think is behind you it isn't. Calm down okay?" When Mei heard the blonde continue to cry she tried again, "Listen to my voice Yuzu, that's why you called right, because you know I would never let anything bad happen to you? Well, believe me when I say nothing is going to hurt you. If you're in bed you probably have a pillow behind your back or something, same thing for the couch or wherever you are at the moment. I'm not there so I can't do it for you so you have to turn around and open your eyes." Mei spoke quietly and softly in hopes that it would give Yuzu some sort of reassurance.

"NO, she's behind me if I turn around she is going to... my throat," Yuzu mumbled off in the middle before Mei heard the two final words and she truly felt sorry for whatever the blonde was putting herself through.

"Whoever she is, she isn't going to lay a hand on you Yuzu because she isn't there. I don't know what happened in your nightmare but it isn't going to happen again, and if she did lay a finger on you she would have my wrath to deal with and I believe that is enough to keep the demons at bae." Mei tried to make Yuzu feel a little more comfortable by lightening her mood and it worked for a moment as she heard a small laugh, but then the line went silent again. She had stopped crying, that was a start.

"If you want to get any sort of sleep tonight then you will have to turn around Yuzu, I know it's scary but you have to do it. Do it for me okay?" Yuzu felt better after hearing Mei's words but that didn't stop the feeling of fear that lay like lead in her stomach, but she had called Mei because she needed her and what help was it to her if she didn't take her advice. So slowly and not so surely Yuzu turned herself around on the couch and cursed to herself about how this was going to be her last moment. She could feel whatever had been pressed against her move before falling ot the ground, she heard a light thud on the ground before the apartment went quiet.

Mei's voice came through the speaker again, it was comforting caring, just what the younger girl needing at the moment. "Okay now open your eyes and you will see that there is absolutely no one there." Eventually opening her eyes Yuzu was met with the same dark room she had seen minutes ago, no creepy face or crawling hand. The phone in her hand was lightened up allowing her to see slightly in front of her and like Mei had said the coast was clear. Glancing quickly down to the floor Yuzu sighed and fell back into the couch at the sight of the purple pillow on the ground.

"Everything okay?" Mei's voice came through and Yuzu let herself relax slightly, but only after turning the torch on, on her phone and putting Mei on speaker so she could light up the room.

"You were right," Yuzu's voice still came out small, she was still a little shaken up by her dream but have the security of having Mei on the phone and knowing no one was there made her feel better. Yuzu heard Mei sigh before she spoke again.

"I know I was right, I'm asking if you are okay Yuzu you don't sound okay to me." Mei's voice still had some concern in it and Yuzu once again felt bad for worrying her partner but she appreciated how much Mei cared and put up with her nonsense. Honestly, how many twenty-one years olds have nightmares and actually need to be encouraged to open their eyes in fear of their being a ghost or demon waiting to kill them?

"I'm okay I think... I'm sorry I woke you up, I know you only got two hours sleep last night or something like that. Please don't be madder at me, I was just scared and I didn't know who else I could have called." After assuring the girl she was definitely okay, it occurred to Yuzu that she may have just made Mei annoyed by calling her at such a time when she was already running on little to no sleep, but she got a strong voice down the phone that put an end to her thoughts.

"Absolutely not Yuzu. I would never be mad at you for feeling scared and coming to me for help, I'm glad you did and I'm glad you are okay. However, if you are feeling better I would recommend that you go back to sleep, you and I both need rest and I don't want either of us falling ill over this." Mei although her sentence didn't sound all that caring, her voice was still as soft as ever as she spoke to the older girl.

Yuzu, after several moments of consideration, knowing that Mei had left to get away from her made her think that she would say no to what she was going to ask but she needed to ask this. "Umm Mei... Do you think you could stay on the call while we fall asleep? I know you are still upset with me but I always feel better when you are with me and I know you are at Gramps but hearing your voice and breathing is really nice..." Yuzu really wasn't sure how the younger girl would react, she really wanted Mei to stay on the line even if it meant they weren't talking.

Her dream had planted some very unwanted seeds of information in Yuzu's mind about how Mei felt about her at the minute and that along with Mei's natural personality made it a shock to the blonde when Mei agreed to leave the call going while the two went to bed. Yet right now she pushed the negativity to the back of her mind and focused on the soft angelic breathing she could hear coming through the speaker.

When she has settled under the covers again and hand her phone back in her hand, Yuzu closed her eyes and focused on the light breathing of the girl on the other side of the phone who had down the same action and was preparing for sleep.

"Goodnight Mei, I love you," Yuzu spoke quietly and waited for the response from her lover.

"Goodnight Yuzu... you too," Was what Mei said back, and Yuzu didn't know what to make of it. They always said goodnight and I love you before bed, what the hell did 'you too' mean? When Yuzu felt she was going to say something she heard a whisper through the phone that she wasn't sure if she was supposed to hear or not. "I love you too, more than anything." The words set a smile on the blonde's face as she let herself be consumed by sleep and the sound of her lover.

Maybe everything would be okay, maybe Mei could forgive her for this. Just maybe.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading this chapter and as always I hoped you liked it. I have a really bad habit of creating conflict just to resolve it a few chapters later, so let me know if you guys think I'm putting in a little too much. :)**


	30. I'm Home

"Excuse me, Miss, breakfast will be ready in half an hour." One of the maid's voices came through the oak door pulling Mei's attention from her phone. Giving some quick confirmation in response, Mei returned her attention to the sound of the blonde's breath that was still coming through on her phone.

It was only a little past six but being at her grandfather's meant abiding by his schedule. Mei had woken up a little after half-past five when a maid had come to wake her, and since then she had been sitting up in her bed listening to Yuzu's peaceful breathing. She could tell that wherever the blonde had chosen to sleep wasn't their bed because of the small grunts of dissatisfaction and shuffling she did every ten minutes or so, but just being able to listen to the blonde was enough for Mei at the moment.

She wouldn't admit it to anyone but she was missing the blonde even if it really had only been a little over twenty-six hours since she left. After she had sat down in the car tears had flooded from Mei's eyes, why, she didn't know. Was being lied to supposed to make someone feel so helpless and insignificant? Because that's how she had felt getting into her driver's car and the entire drive to her grandfather's house. She was met at the door by her grandfather, and when he saw her crying with red puffy eyes, Mei was socked still when he managed to give her an awkward hug and reassure her that everything was fine. After this strange event, Mei had taken a refreshing shower, tried to clear and make sense of everything that had happened in her mind before joining her family for breakfast.

It had been quiet with her grandfather not speaking a word about why Mei had turned up here only occasionally asking her about school. Like Yuzu had predicted Mei had spent her day at the school, she went over some files with her grandfather, met with the current student council president, and at the end of the day she had taken a slow walk around the schools garden. It was relaxing and had given her what felt like clarity for a while, all she thought about was the beautiful flowers and fresh smell that surrounded her.

Running on so little sleep, Mei had actually managed to find a small patch of grass just outside one of their greenhouses and fall asleep. It was long past six when she finally awoke, but when she did she felt so much better. The breeze was cool but not cold, her mind wasn't running like crazy as it had been for most of the day and best of all Mei felt calm. Not panicking about the blonde or her school work, she was just there. Sitting under a large tree with the sun slowly setting in front of her.

After sitting for a while Mei managed to get herself home and after dinner had excused herself to her room where she had spent the remainder of the night going over some work.

The call she received that morning had panicked her but after she realised that Yuzu was okay, and had fallen asleep _with_ Yuzu, Mei had awoken in a very good mood. Now she was just sitting at the edge of her bed regretting the fact that she was going to have to hang up soon.

Make no mistake Mei was still infuriated with the blonde, but that didn't stop her missing the girl with her entire being. She wanted to shout until her lungs burst but she also wanted to be wrapped up in the older's embrace for the entire day. Hearing that the blonde had had a nightmare that morning had made Mei worry as she could take a wee guess about what had triggered it and she had been considering going home this evening instead of tomorrow, but would she be able to face the fact that Yuzu wasn't going to tell her?

Mei didn't like being this complicated about things and she most definitely didn't like the fact that she had run away from the situation but at the time it seemed like the only option to her. As said, Mei wanted to return home and go back to being happy, much like the way the blonde had made her feel the evening before she left, but she knew as much as she wanted that as soon as she walked through the door and came face to face with the blonde she would expect her answer.

Why she needed her question answered so badly Mei wasn't quite sure, whenever she tried to think of a reasonable explanation for her persistence in the matter she couldn't. The blonde was her own person and if she didn't want to tell Mei something there really wasn't anything she could do, Mei respected that. She had grown up with boundaries and had stuck to them for many years but she thought that she and the blonde were passed that, or had a stronger connection that wasn't bound by boundaries and lines that needed to be drawn. Maybe she was wrong and Yuzu felt there were certain things they couldn't talk to each other about, but Mei didn't think this was true in the slightest.

Since the beginning of their relationship, the blonde had always been more than forthcoming with her feelings, always telling Mei that they had to share their feelings and talk and most of the time Yuzu managed to coax her into doing just that. Yuzu had, apart from recently, spoke to her in confidence when she was upset. Just the other night Yuzu had made Mei tell her about her feelings towards the blonde's friend and wouldn't let it go until she was certain that the younger girl was feeling better, so why in the past few months had Yuzu found it more difficult to confide or talk to the other girl about her feelings? Was it something Mei was doing? Was she the one pushing Yuzu away without realising it?

To Mei that made more sense than the blonde cheating on her. Once over the initial shock of her finding out about Yuzu's dream, Mei saw things a little more from Yuzu's point of view. She had no doubt that the blonde loved her more than air itself but if Yuzu couldn't express herself properly to the younger was she doing something that made Yuzu feel she couldn't?

Half an hour later and just before she needed to hang up the phone to go and get her breakfast, Mei had come to the conclusion that it was her doing that had caused this breath of trust or whatever the blonde was going through. With that in mind, Mei planned to spend the day with her grandfather like planned before returning home to Yuzu then try and get the blonde to talk to her. She hoped she would be able to suppress her own desire to know who it was that Yuzu had dreamt of long enough to figure out what she was doing to push her partner away like this.

Mei didn't think she had been doing anything different in the past two months compared to the past four years of them knowing each other but maybe she just couldn't see it? She did have a bad habit of accidentally being condescending towards people but she was sure that she had been getting better at that, though the two had been having more arguments recently compared to normal. Was that it, did Yuzu feel distanced from Mei because of the slight increase in disagreements over the past few months? Given as Mei though about some of them they weren't exactly small and at the time Yuzu had been very upset about some of them but she didn't want to think that having arguments would make Yuzu not want to confide in her.

Either way, Mei was going home today, she would apologise for leaving so abruptly then confront the blonde on her thoughts.

Breakfast came and went and the day seemed to fly by for Mei, and before she knew it she was already sitting down to have dinner with her grandfather.

"What time do you plan on leaving?" Asked Mei's grandfather in a rather bland tone as he ate his food across from Mei, who was as of now playing with her food rather than eating it. With her focus being taken from her food to the man opposite her Mei immediately stopped pushing the food around her plate and straightened her posture. "Probably not long after dinner if that's okay with you," Mei answered quickly not wanting to make her grandfather wait. She got a nod approval in response, he took several more bites of his food before he gave Mei his entire focus. The naturally hard stare had Mei frozen in place, she looked back at him her eyes not quite meeting his as she waited to hear what he was going to say.

"I understand that you are a grown woman now and that your business is yours alone, however, I can't help but worry with the circumstances which brought you here. It may not be my place but... is everything alright with you Mei?" His voice was somewhat wary as he spoke, not completely knowing if he should really try and get involved in the youngest Aihara's personal life. Mei was not stunned by his question she had been waiting for it since she arrived, it was her answer which delayed her reply. She didn't really know if everything was going to be alright, obviously, she couldn't tell her grandfather what had happened but it was clear to see that he was worried for her.

Taking in a deep breath Mei spoke again, this time she held the man's gaze. "I know I didn't turn up here in the best shape but I'm feeling much better after staying here. You having nothing to worry about, thank you for asking though it... means a lot." Mei managed a smile and returned her gaze to her plate after she got another nod from her grandfather. With little small talk and eating almost half her dinner, Mei was preparing to excuse herself from the table and pack her bag to go home.

Nearly two hours later Mei was just getting into a car that her grandfather had arranged for her to get a lift home in. The next hour would most likely be a boring and tedious one but Mei thought she would use that time to make up for the study she had missed on Friday. Before she knew it, her door was being opened and the man who had originally driven her to her grandfather's house and was smiling at her politely waiting for her to get out.

Trying to gather her things as quickly as possible Mei slipped from the vehicle and gave the man a bow. "Thank you for the lift, I appreciate I have been slightly awkward for you this weekend," Mei straightened herself up and smiled at him. He looked to be maybe a decade older than Mei though he still had loads of energy which reminded Mei of the blonde she was about to encounter.

"Not a problem at all Miss, have a lovely evening," Smiling once she was standing properly the man gave a bow of his own before excusing himself back into the car and driving away. Taking in a deep breath Mei made her way towards their door, she didn't know what the blonde would be doing or if she would even be home. It was nine o'clock on a Saturday night and it wouldn't have surprised Mei if Yuzu was out with some of her friends, but the light that penetrated her eyes when she cracked the door open suggested otherwise.

Stepping into the house silently, Mei felt the urge to drop her bags and hold her nose at the fetid smell that emanated from the house. What the hell was that? Bitter? Garlic, maybe ginger? Taking in a bigger breath to try and see what she was actually smelling from the front door, Mei almost made herself gag. There was no way she could mistake the smell of off white rice, it was masked in a mixture of other grotesque aromas but there was no doubt in Mei's mind of what was causing her to feel sick at the moment.

Taking off her shoes, jacket and placing her keys in the bowl next to the door Mei walked further into the apartment surprised that she hadn't even seen the blonde yet after making so much noise. Stopping before she came to the end of the entrance Mei could hear two things: Low playing music and... slurping? Feeling it futile to keep herself in wait, she walked into the open space between the kitchen and living room; the sight stunned the girl.

The television was lit up and playing one of Yuzu's games, the living room table still had all the containers from the night she left, some had fallen onto the floor and from what Mei could see there were several new boxes. With a glance to the floor that was littered in empty cans of juice, she noticed the small pieces of dried food that had fallen from unfinished tubs of food. Their quilt was still sprawled over the sofa and lying beneath it was a Yuzu sized lump. After taking in the sight before her, Mei moved to get a better look at the blonde.

She had two earphones in, from what Mei could see one linked to her ps4 controller that was lying in front of her being used with only one hand, the other to her phone which is where she assumed the music was coming from. In her other hand was a pair of chopsticks that continued to dip into the Chinese tub that was balancing on the couch against her chest, the girl's entire focus was on her game not even looking to see where her chopsticks were going. A closer inspection of the girl herself, Mei could see she had panda eyes and the faint outline of tears on her cheeks. She was wearing the same shirt as when Mei had left and her hair was a tangled mess.

Mei didn't know whether to scream at the state of the house or be concerned for the blonde. That was false, she knew exactly what she was going to do.

"Yuzu?" Mei spoke softly but raised her voice high enough that she thought the blonde would hear her, but the girl's concentration did not falter and after severing attempts of doing this Mei moved behind the girl and gently layed a hand on her shoulder.

A high pitched scream filled the building and Mei staggered back as Yuzu's knuckles made contact with her cheek before the girl's body fell to the floor after practically jumping from the couch knocking her food, controller and phone to the floor along with her. Mei heard a line of curses before she saw Yuzu practically jump from behind the table and bolt for the door, only to stop when she was several strides away at the call of her name.

"Yuzu wait!" Mei's hand was at her cheek as she watched the blonde's eyes widen with confusion then realisation.

"M-Mei?... Mei! Your face, I'm so sorry!" A flick was switched and Yuzu was at Mei side trying to get a better look at the girl's cheek. Mei raised her hand and lightly pushed Yuzu away from her as she rubbed her face while wincing. She could already feel the swelling of the bottom of her eyes and the stinging sensation rivalled her will not to cry.

"Can you get me an ic-ice pack please?" Mei asked, her voice breaking as she grimaced. Yuzu was gone and back in a flash and handing her girlfriend an icepack wrapped in a tea towel. "Thank you," Mei replied as she took the offering and walked herself to the couch where she scowled at the pile of noodles and sauce that had spilt onto the floor along with the blonde's phone. Fishing the phone from the pile of food, Mei pushed all the food off it and done her best to wipe the liquid off the screen before setting it on top of one of the many boxes on the table.

"Mei I'm so sorry, I had no idea it was you behind me I just freaked out cuz I wasn't expecting you here until tomorrow and thought it was something else. Are you okay?!" Yuzu spoke rushed, quick to kneel down beside Mei to try and see her.

Mei's desire to be nice to the blonde was wearing thin, it was impossible to stop the snappy remark. "You mean aside from the house smelling and looking like a dump and getting punched in the face? I'm perfectly fine thank you." The sarcastic remark lay heavy in the air, Yuzu didn't know what to say and Mei was trying to get the burning sensation in her face to go down. Not saying anything, Mei pushed herself back into the couch and noticed how she seemed lower down than usual. Yuzu seeing that Mei was now in a bad mood and realising that she probably wasn't going to let her assist with her cheek, stood and walked to the kitchen.

She returned with a black bag and a glass of water. "I'm sorry, I'll clean it all up now," Yuzu said as she handed the glass to Mei and started filling the bag with the mountain of containers that had accumulated over the past few days. The bag was full in a matter of minutes and Yuzu had to force down the rubbish to fit the last of her cans of juice into the bag before tying it shut.

"I'll eh... take this out." Yuzu murmured to Mei with a small gesture to the bag in her hand and quickly left through the front door, smelling fresh air for the first time in two days. It was only when she walked back into the house did she realise the rancid smell Mei had complained about and was more than grateful when she saw Mei had opened all the windows and was folding the quilt on the couch to make space for the both of them to sit.

The icepack was already on the table as Mei finished organising the couch. Yuzu didn't quite know where she stood at the moment, was Mei still furious at her, why was she home a day early, not that Yuzu minded in the slightest. Was she supposed to just forget everything that had happened and act normal or was she to walk on eggshells? After hitting her in the face, by accident, Yuzu didn't know what to say. She felt tremendously guilty for it, she could see the red mark that already had speckles of blue bruising coming through; she had hit her girlfriend. Though Mei may not have necessarily seen it that way Yuzu certainly did, she was aware that it was an accident but she had hit her nonetheless.

Mei looked up to Yuzu who was standing with her hands clasped together at the door, watching Mei intently. After gesturing to the couch and sitting down herself, Mei waited until Yuzu was eventually sitting down beside her. "I apologise for my tone, I just wasn't expecting either of those things to happen. Before you start crying which I can already tell you are holding yourself back from, I know you didn't mean to hit me and I don't hold anything against you for it. The same however cannot be said for the house. Why were you unable to move from the couch, put anything away or even cook for the two days I was gone? The food from Thursday night is practically rotting, not to mention you living off takeaways and fizzy juice for two days is extremely bad for you." Mei surprised the blonde when her tone was more of concern rather than annoyance, but it was obvious to anyone that Mei was bewildered by the state of her girlfriend and their house. She had never seen Yuzu let anything get this bad, that along with the way she had called Mei begging her to come back home added to Mei's own feelings of guilt.

"I em... why are you home tonight? Don't get me wrong I'm like super happy you are home cuz I was really missing you, but you made it very clear you weren't going to come home until you absolutely had to on Sunday night for school on Monday." Yuzu really wanted to answer Mei's question but she still couldn't get over the fact that she was even in front of her at the moment. Yuzu kept her eyes on the reddening cheek as she spoke and watched as Mei let out a sigh. "Also, I think you should put that icepack back on your cheek, it's still looking pretty bad and I think it would be best to minimise the bruising as much as possible... if you don't mind course." Yuzu shuffled as she finished off, still not sure of Mei's intentions or her mood.

Mei watched as Yuzu still had watery eyes every time she looked at Mei's face and she could practically see the lump in the girl's throat. Picking up the cold pack Mei placed it to her cheek and only briefly pulled her face back at the cold contact. Leaning back into the chair Mei crossed her legs on the couch in an attempt to keep her feet away from the dirty floor beneath her.

"I'll answer your question Yuzu but after I do I would like you to answer mine. I decided to come home early after you called me last night, I had some free time while I was away and I had some time to think and see things from your point of view." Mei looked to Yuzu who seemed to be a little taken aback at the minute. Mei was actually talking to her and seeing things from her point of view rather than just thinking she was right?

"Over the past few months, including Thursday, you have been keeping things from me." Mei started and she saw Yuzu open her mouth to react but she raised her hand to silence the blonde so she could finish her sentence. "But after thinking about it for a while, I realised that you are always the one telling me to share my feelings and you done just that on Thursday evening before I left. Which reminded me that you do love me unconditionally, I know that you would never cheat on me. I'm sorry for doubting that before I left, anyway after thinking about it I came to the conclusion that I must have been doing something in the past two to three months that has been pushing you away without realising it. I know you are going to deny this straight away, but it is the only reasonable explanation I can think of that would make you not feel comfortable sharing thing with me but still caring for me like you have since we first met." Mei took a short breath and she was slightly put off by the complete shock and disbelief of the blondes face. Was she not on the right track with her thoughts?

Feeling it best just to get it all in the open before the blonde had time to question her on any of it Mei continued, this time moving just a smidgen closer to the blonde. "I started thinking about this on Friday and after a rest, I started to relax and take a breath. Then you called me at half four in the morning of a nightmare and you only usually have nightmares when you are very stressed or upset about things, and I can only guess that my leaving and refusing to come home even after you begged me on the phone had you extremely worried. I know I put you through a lot by trying to force you to talk to me and then leaving when you wouldn't, and even if I would still really like to know who it was, I know now that it is my own doing for creating an unseen tear in our relationship. So I came home today instead of tomorrow to try and put you at ease and hopefully for you to let me know what I have unconsciously been doing that has made you feel the need to distance yourself from me." Mei could feel herself choking up, it wasn't normal for her to be the one doing all the talking, but right now she couldn't stop herself.

"I thought a reason you stopped telling me things and confiding in me was that over the past few months we have had several rather large arguments that may still be on your mind. If this is the reason and you have been avoiding telling me things because you think I will get mad and it will create an argument I'm sorry and I'll try harder to understand and keep my cool. If it's something else I really don't know, but I would appreciate it greatly if you told me because I want you to be able to talk to me like you used to." Mei tried her hardest to hold her gaze on the blonde but she had to look away when a tear dropped from Yuzu's eye at her speech.

Mei looked up when she felt a warm hand upturn her face before the blonde's lips were pressed against her own. Yuzu had swivelled her hand to the back of Mei neck as she pressed her lips to Mei's. It was very much impulsive, Yuzu after hearing her girlfriends conclusion of being the source of this problem had Yuzu riddled with guilt. For Yuzu not telling her certain things over the past few months had the younger girl thinking she was doing something wrong, a kiss that conveyed all her feelings was all Yuzu thought right to do at the moment. And that's what she did, for several seconds all she did was feel Mei against her and after a few more seconds Yuzu felt Mei ease into the embrace as well. She had most likely been craving this feeling over the past few days as much as the blonde had, with the thoughts she had created in her head maybe she needed it even more than Yuzu did.

"You have done absolutely nothing wrong, Mei, I've just been a complete idiot for not seeing how you felt." Yuzu was now resting her forehead against Mei's, her eyes wide with sincerity as she spoke. "A promise is a promise; The reason both the house and I look like this is that I was worried for what you were going to do when you got home. When I called you the night you left I was sure you would come home and let me apologise again but you didn't and I was starting to think that maybe you wouldn't want to be with me anymore or want to go on a break because of what I did. I just needed to try and not think about it so I started playing my game, then when I woke up the next afternoon I just felt... empty, at the thought of you not coming back so I just lay here and played my game to distract myself. I would have cleaned up before you got home on Sunday evening but you got here early so it still looks a bit grubby... and so do I by the looks of it." Yuzu said as she looked at the house and herself for the first time in days. Even with the tubs of food gone and the quilt folded up, off cuttings and large crumbs covered the carpet and Yuzu could see several stains on her shirt and her hair was tuggy from what she could feel with her hands. Oh god her breath, she quickly put her hand to her mouth after realising that she had actually kissed Mei with her breath like this.

Seeing this Mei managed a small laugh, "I know I didn't seem too happy when I came in, but I really do want to sort this out properly and talk about it with you. Since everything is out on the table, how about you go and have a shower and get cleaned up while I make you something that didn't come from a cardboard box to eat and clean up a little more?" Mei accepted Yuzu's answer and could still see guilt in her eyes. But after several seconds Yuzu still didn't answer, her eyes kept going from Mei to the house and occasionally back to herself.

"In case you couldn't tell, that was a rhetorical question." Taking the pack from her face, Mei stood from the couch and pulled Yuzu up after her. Giving her a rather stern look, Yuzu didn't hesitate to nod and make her way down the hall but just before she reached their room for some clothes she turned back to look at Mei.

"Mei?" When she had Mei looking at her from the other end of the hall she continued, "Please remember what I said; Nothing you have said or done has pushed me away, if anything I feel closer to you than I ever have in the past couple months. Me not telling you things straight away was just me being stupid," Yuzu decided to stop there, after a small nod she entered their room, emerging moments later with a handful of clothes and noticed Mei was still watching her.

After making her way into the shower Yuzu noticed she was dirtier than she had realised, she noodles in the ends of her hair for god sake.

When Yuzu was finally out of the shower after taking a good thirty minutes to wash, she put fresh clothes on for the first time in days and made sure to pick a pair of her comfiest clothes: Cotton joggers and a soft oversized pyjama t-shirt. When she eventually came out of the bathroom and made her way down the hall she was greeted by Mei who, like herself, had changed into some nightwear and was just finishing placing the blondes plate down on the table.

"You took a while, is everything alright?" Mei asked as she looked up at noticing the blonde's presence. Yuzu, however, walked over to the table without speaking and carefully traced her fingers over Mei's bruised face. After having some time for the reddening to go down slightly Yuzu saw the entire rage of the bruise that was forming. It started just below the girl's eyebrow and finished around the bottom of her cheekbone. Yuzu obviously has a small first but when faced with the fear of losing her life had put her entire force -from such an angle- into punching her intruder which had regrettably been Mei.

Against the flawless white of the rest of Mei's face, it stood out like a sore thumb and looked extremely painful to Yuzu. She knew that Mei's skin bruised slightly easier than hers did, most likely because it was naturally so pale but even so, this monster of a bruise wasn't because of her fair skin.

"I'm so sorry about this Mei, it looks really painful are you sure you are okay?" Yuzu continued to eye the marking for nearly a minute before Mei finally pulled away.

"I'm not going to lie, it really hurts and I wish it hadn't happened but we can't change what transpired. Anyway, I know it's late but I would like you to eat this and afterwards we can talk. Okay?" Mei said while wiping Yuzu's hand away and stepping back to allow Yuzu into the table.

Sitting down at the table after Mei stood slightly to her side as she made sure that Yuzu was actually eating it, Yuzu glanced up to Mei before she cast her gaze back down to the small portion in front of her.

"Mei?... You were really mad when you left, are you sure you are really fine? I mean I'm glad you want to talk it out but it just doesn't seem like well... you to just forget like that." Yuzu kept her voice somewhat low as she ate another bite of food to keep from having to look at Mei when she asked if she was still mad about Yuzu's dream. Yuzu's hesitation was not mirrored in the slightest as Mei instantly replied as she stood behind the older girl.

"As I said, it's not that I don't want to know who it was because I would still appreciate you telling me, but after I came to the conclusion that it wasn't necessary you lying but not feeling comfortable enough to talk to me about it, that my anger dissipated slightly. If you would like to tell me I'll happily listen, and before you say anything I want to make things better so I won't get mad. But this is all after we talk about the past couple of months and you have eaten something with actual nutrients." Mei had returned to her natural neutral tone which Yuzu didn't know whether to talk as a good sign or a bad one.

On one hand, she wasn't shouting and seemed relatively calm but then again she was most likely still blaming herself and the emotionless tone she used didn't speak much to say she was okay.

Eating as quickly as she could without getting shouted at by Mei, Yuzu was done in less than five minutes leaning back in her chair with her hand on her stomach. "Thanks, Mei, the was really good." Yuzu smiled up to Mei who was still standing beside her.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, now where would you feel most comfortable talking about this?" Mei asked, a small almost invisible smile to her lips at seeing Yuzu eat something homemade.

"Anywhere you like, but I eh kinda haven't changed the bed sheets or anything so I don't know if you want me to change them first then we can go into the bedroom?" Yuzu seemed slightly nervous as she spoke. She had definitely seen the side eye Mei had given their bed before she left and obviously they couldn't just get rid of their bed but the blonde assumed Mei would have liked some fresh sheets as to dull the memory slightly.

Mei's eyes narrowed at what the blonde was hinting at. "Why couldn't you muster ten minutes of your time to change the bedding?" Her voice now low as ever, Yuzu went to speak but before she could Mei continued.

"Well, you can go and do that now if you don't mind. If it's possible I would like the white and navy blue stripped bedsheets, they are the comfiest ones we have. Unless you want us to sleep on the couch as you have for the past two days?" Mei spat as she picked up the blondes empty plate and walked into the kitchen.

"Ehh... sure Mei," Yuzu stuttered at the sudden change in her partner's mood, maybe this wasn't going to be as simple as she thought as it was clear what had happened to make Mei leave was still laying heavy on her mind. Getting from the table as fast as she could, Yuzu practically ran down the hall to the linen closet, pulled Mei's requested sheets from the shelf and scurried to their room.

The changing of the sheets was a mighty feat for someone of her size. She had grown in the past few years but she was only 5'4" and the bedsheets were much taller than her, every time she had to do this it felt like a workout. The strenuous act took her nearly fifteen minutes to change just the main sheet and by the end, she was wiping her hand across her brow and panting as she looked at the double bed with accomplishment.

"Yuzu, are you finished yet?" Mei knocked lightly on the door, her voice much calmer than the last time she spoke.

Getting to the door faster than possible, Yuzu opened it and gave Mei a smile. "Yeah, sorry it took so long. We normally do it together but since I was doing it myself it took a little longer." Smiling, Yuzu watched as Mei walked into the bedroom with a nod.

"You didn't do the pillows," Pointing to the two white pillowcases on either side of the bed, Mei raised her brow to Yuzu who was in the process of walking back to the bed with navy and white material in her hand.

"As I said, I was struggling a bit to put the quilt sheet on so you are just gonna have to wait like two minutes for me to put these on then we will have nice fresh sheets." Giving as big a smile as she could manage at the moment, Yuzu started pulling the sheets off the pillows.

Taking a case of each colour from the blonde, Mei started changing her own pillows earning her a raised eyebrow from the blonde.

"You're helping?" Yuzu asked while fluffing up her pillows before crawling onto the bed and sitting with her legs crossed as she watched Mei place her pillow back down.

"I am," Mei, like Yuzu, was now sitting on the bed facing her lover who was keeping her eyes fixed on her fluffy socks. Seeing that Yuzu didn't seem to have any intention of speaking first, Mei shuffled forwards to be closer to the blonde.

"So..." Was all she managed to say as a thick wave of awkward tension filled the room.

With all four pillows, two white and two blue, freshly covered and fluffed up the two sat in silence looking at each other from their close proximity.

 **As usual thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the others if you did, I love reading what you guys think so don't hesitate to leave a comment.**

 **Also per one of the comments on the last chapter, I have not specifically said yet whether Yuzu knows who it was in her dream, for now, I think I'll let that pot stew for a little longer and leave it to your guy's imaginations. :D**


	31. Looking For Answers or Hiding From Them?

Yuzu flicked her head back into the pillows as she took a fist full of black hair, pulling on it as she pushed her hips forward.

* * *

The two sweating bodies lay silently next to one another, nothing to be heard apart from the still slightly uneven breaths of the two. How many minutes had passed with the pair lying shoulder to shoulder Yuzu didn't know. Two? Ten? A dozen?

Few words had been spoken since entering the bedroom, since Mei pushed the chestnut-haired girl back onto the bed and took her right there. Obviously, Yuzu was confused and didn't participate in the abrupt kiss straight away, she had tried to push Mei off and talk but the younger was relentless in her task and soon Yuzu's determination gave through too. Leaving Yuzu sitting, or should we say lying, right where Mei wanted her.

 ** _Thirty minutes_** ** _Earlier_**

"Emm... I ehh, know this is a little awkward but I think we should-" Yuzu stated when Mei didn't know what to say, but it seemed that words didn't have a place in the younger mind.

Yuzu was cut off as Mei closed the distance between the two and caught the blonde's lips with her own; The action sudden and fierce enough to bruise the soft flesh. With Yuzu too shocked to do anything and Mei too preoccupied to care, the latter pushed her tongue into the blonde's still unresponsive mouth. Seconds ticked by and soon Yuzu's mind had finally caught up with the actions going on in front of her, though it seemed Mei was moving faster.

The pale hand snuck under the slightly oversized shirt, the action pooling the material above Yuzu's breast while Mei squeezed the exposed mound. With Yuzu's lips still not moving as they normally would in this type of situation, Mei shifted her attention to the blonde's neck; sucking as hard as she had on the blonde's tongue on the pulsing skin.

Regaining her senses, Yuzu knew this wasn't what they were supposed to be doing or what they should be doing right now.

 _Mei wanted to talk so why is she doing this?_

Pushing lightly against the small shoulder adjacent to her, Yuzu spoke though it came through weak and timid.

"Mei stop, what are you doing?" Only the dark-haired girl didn't stop, instead, Yuzu felt a hand on her own shoulder before she was pushed back against the mattress.

Lips met again but this time Yuzu fought against the advances, both her hands finding Mei's shoulders.

"Mei! I asked you to stop, we are supposed to be talking." After pushing hard enough to get Mei's lips off her own, Yuzu looked up to Mei who had a blush spread from ear to ear her eyes locked on the moving lips, though they were dark and it wasn't exactly lust Yuzu saw in them more like a need.

When Mei didn't respond and leant back down to continue, Yuzu pushed on her shoulders again, this time enough so that Mei looked her in the eye. Though the resistance seemed futile as Mei reached up and took the small hands in her own.

 _Finally, she's actually listening to me- what the hell?!_

At her moment of relaxation, Yuzu found her arms pinned above her head being held down by one of Mei's hands at the wrists, while the other returned to its previous activity.

"Will you stop being so stubborn." The statement more of a command rather than a question, Mei returned her lips to the blondes.

Yuzu did not fail to notice that Mei took the kiss slower and waited for the blonde to kiss her back before deepening it. This told Yuzu two things: one- she wouldn't be able to stop herself with Mei being so assertive and controlling, cuz in all honesty, the blonde didn't mind this situation at all, she quite enjoyed being dominated. Two- Mei was waiting for her to say it was okay for her to continue. Meaning she wasn't just going to sleep with Yuzu if she said no at that very moment, but as much as she knew it was wrong Yuzu couldn't say no.

 ** _Back to the present._**

Mei was the one who said she wanted to talk and yet as soon as they should have she goes and does that? Even after Yuzu tried -not with her biggest efforts- to stop Mei and talk about what Mei wanted to she refused, now they were just lying beside one another and Yuzu was sure Mei could feel the same tension she could. What did Mei gain from doing this? Yuzu felt like they were now in a worse place than when Mei had first arrived home over an hour and a half ago, if they had actually talked then maybe they would be fine at the moment and no matter which way Yuzu turned her brain she did not think this was fine.

Moving her head to the side so she could face Mei, Yuzu looked upon the girl's face and studied it hard. There was a slight sheen to her forehead and the tips of her fringe were now wet, her cheeks were still pink, the one closest to Yuzu at the moment was shining bright with purples and greens, with her lidded eyes fixed on the ceiling above them. Yuzu dropped her gaze to her partner's lips: she found a mixture of a frown and a quivering bottom lip. Concern taking grasp of her body, Yuzu moved up to her elbows and turned directly towards Mei to get a proper look at her face, when she did Mei's line of sight did not falter, almost as if she hadn't even noticed the movement.

Mei's entire expression was one of disconsolate and melancholy, one Yuzu had not seen in years. Pulling the sheets up to cover her bare chest, Yuzu leaned over Mei a little more.

"Mei?" Placing a hand on the girl's small shoulder, Yuzu spoke again seeing as she didn't get a reaction from the girl. "Mei?" This time a light shake to she shoulder accompanied the word and Mei's eyes flicked from the wall to Yuzu. This staring contest was kept up for almost half a minute with Yuzu trying to find any hint of the reason behind Mei's current expression while Mei continued to look into the green iris'.

"Mei is-" Yuzu started but stopped soon after as Mei shook her head before looking away from Yuzu to only moments later, shake the hand off her shoulder and turn onto her side; her back facing the blonde. Yuzu watched as the quilt was pulled tight over Mei's back and scrunched up in front of the younger girl's chest while she tucked her head into the small bunch of softness she had made.

Not knowing what else to do, Yuzu got from the bed and switched the light off but before she crawled back into bed she quickly flung her trousers and shirt back on. Lying back beside her girlfriend who was still turned away from her, Yuzu decided this couldn't wait until the morning. So shuffling onto her side with her body facing the younger girl, Yuzu moved herself closer to Mei and reached her hand out to grip hold of the girl's shoulder, however, just before she made contact she retracted it.

"Mei?... Can you turn around please?" Yuzu asked quietly, though it was clear as day in the otherwise silent room. She didn't get a verbal response but after a few seconds, Yuzu gave a small smile when Mei turned around as she had requested. Her gaze on the blonde, Mei waited patiently for Yuzu to continue.

"Do you want me to get your shirt or something?" Yuzu, after looking at Mei and the way she held the sheets to her chest, asked but she was already out of the bed and grabbing the long shirt. Handing it off to her girlfriend, Yuzu forced herself to look away when Mei sat up, revealing her naked form glowing in the dim light from the side table lamp. After pulling the shirt on, Mei wriggled back down and held the covers as she did before, though this time she did face Yuzu and watched the girls mixture of expressions as she tried to find the right words to say.

Yuzu watched in the low light as Mei still seemed distant, her eyes duller and lip still quivering.

"Em, you know we still need to talk about this Mei... That certainly wasn't bad but it didn't exactly fix anything, you still look upset and you were the one who wanted to talk so what's different now from an hour ago?" Yuzu kept her voice low as she looked at Mei, or more specificity her cheek. She was talking to Mei but her eyes never left the bruise, God how she wished she had missed her target then that wouldn't have happened.

Mei, however, stayed silent, her eyes rested on the blonde for a few more seconds then she looked down at the bed. Pushing with her questioning, Yuzu took Mei's chin (very carefully) and forced the girl to look at her once again.

"Mei, you can't ignore this or me. An hour ago you were begging to talk, then as soon as we actually sit down you do that? I don't get it, what's changed your mind?" Yuzu kept her voice cool and comforting, but still, no response came and Yuzu tried again.

"You know you can't just lie there and pretend I'm not trying to talk to you just because you don't want to. C'mon please Mei, I know things are just gonna be worse in the morning if we don't deal with this now... All the cards are on the table just like you said... Okay, I'll start then and you can just listen; Over the past months, I haven't for a second felt as though you were pushing me away, you've always listened when I've talked, given me advice and been absolutely amazing. You are the girl I want to tell all my problems to and the person I want to wake up in the morning holding, you are the only person I want. All this lying you say I'm doing, I know some of it is validated but other parts aren't and I feel horrible that me doing that has made you think that you are failing as my girlfriend because you aren't... I love you...Mei?" Yuzu spoke from her heart but she didn't fail to notice the shuffle back Mei did, but she didn't speak straight away.

"...Why?" Was the only thing Mei said, her voice low, almost lifeless. Twisting her brow in confusion, "What do you mean 'Why?' why what?" Yuzu's lack of realisation gave Mei a momentary spike of anger. Her hands shot out from the covers and -Not hard enough to bruise individually- hit Yuzu in the chest with her trembling fists.

The action was a shock to the blonde, she had never seen Mei like this, but it didn't stop at one. Multiple more small fists and palms smacked into her chest and although they didn't hurt individually the repetitive action was gradually causing her pain.

Mei kept up, her hands, even lying on her side, continued to smack the blonde in the chest, every hit put a little more distance between them. Shaking her head from side to side rapidly, Mei couldn't stop the tears spilling from her eyes. "THEN WHY DO YOU LIE TO ME!?" The shout, more of a scream, filled the room and Mei's hands stopped the beating on her partner's body. She was more than arm's length away from the blonde who was shocked still. Her voice returning to the whisper as she curled her head and hands back in towards her core.

"If-if you love me so much then why do you need to hide things from me, and dream about other people?" Mei was openly sobbing at this point, her legs brought up to her chest as she tried to comfort herself. Though she instantly froze up when a small but strong pair of arms wrapped around her body and pulled her in tight. With her face and entire body in the blonde's embrace, Mei couldn't stop the tears.

"I'm sorry, so so sorry," Yuzu said as she 'shooshed' the crying girl while stroking her hair and rubbing her back.

 _It's not what you think, I promise._

Time passed and soon Yuzu heard the sobs fade into sniffles then slow consecutive breathing. It had definitely been more than an hour since there _activities,_ Mei was sound asleep still cocooned inside the older's arms but Yuzu didn't share the same fate. She was exhausted, her eyes drooped and her breathing slowed but all she could think about was Mei crying and hitting her.

She had made the girl feel so unloved, outcasted, angry, betrayed that she felt she had to go to such lengths to release her emotions. Nothing in Yuzu's being held anything against the sleeping girl for her actions, Yuzu wished she had done it harder maybe that would have balanced out the scale. Made her feel a fraction of the pain her partner was.

Repeating countless words of apology, Yuzu held Mei close while she eventually drifted off herself.

Trying her best not to open her eyes, Yuzu reached her hand over the length of the bed in hopes of finding a body next to her. Yet as much as she had expected to wake up alone, the empty bed still hurt. Eventually managing to sit up, Yuzu's entire being ached and protested to her movements. Glancing down to her chest, from what she could see it was still red with irritation with some very light specs of a murky yellow.

 _Great, just one more thing for Mei to blame herself and feel guilty for... Where is she though, it's not even nine yet?_

Riding herself from the sheets, she slipped on a hoodie before walking out the door, she hadn't failed to notice that all of her girlfriend's clothes from the night before were gone from the floor. A small feeling of dread and doubt managed to work its way into Yuzu's mind that the girl she currently sought was gone when in actuality, Mei probably just picked up her belonging in the morning to avoid any mess. That was the reasonable explanation but Yuzu needed to see the girl with her own eyes.

And that she did; sitting on the couch, coffee in hand as she spoke on the phone with a familiar teddy sitting on her lap. As she cautiously edged closer to the sitting girl, Yuzu made her way around the couch and sat on a chair that was positioned diagonally from Mei. At the extra presence in the room Mei, and Yuzu, both felt the uncomfortable silence of the night before. Looking at Mei, who had yet to physically acknowledge her presence, Yuzu saw the smiler on her face. With the redness and raw heat from the punch gone, it left an abstract painting of purples right through yellows across the pale canvas.

"Yes... Yuzu is awake now so unless you want to speak with her I'll see you soon... Goodbye." With the short fare well done, Mei placed her phone on the coffee table and rested back into the couch, casually drinking her coffee.

The silence was suffocating, the fear of speaking for how they had ended thing the night before had both girls petrified to speak. After nearly five minutes of Mei looking at the table while cuddling her bear and Yuzu looking at Mei, the former spoke but her line of sight didn't falter.

"I'm... sorry about last night, I know nothing I say or do can fix or change what I did but I need you to know that I understand something like that is completely unacceptable and it won't happen again. I don't know what came over me, I was so frustrated and upset, I just lashed out without thinking... I don't normally take to anything like physical violence especially not with you and yet I hit you multiple times until I hurt you and I didn't stop until I broke down, and then you apologised when I was the one who abused you... I'm so sorry Yuzu." Mei kept her head low as she spoke her bottom lip disappeared as it had the night before, although she didn't have to wait long for the blonde to reply.

"You don't need to apologize. It wasn't abuse no matter what you say I won't accept you saying that about yourself. I know you don't like or condone violence, and you didn't even hit me hard. It was just... a rush of emotions that you didn't know how to control, and I don't blame you for it in the slightest." Yuzu gave her fixed response, she did not want something like this lying over the other girl's shoulder. Another thing, how did Mei know it had hurt her? She hadn't made any sounds of dissatisfaction or gruntles of pain when it happened last night, and she didn't even flinch when Mei pulled her being into her chest so how did she know she had left a mark.

The blonde didn't have to think for too long as Mei spoke up, her reply as fast as the blondes. "If I didn't hurt you, you wouldn't have felt the need to put a hoodie on to hide the bruising that is no doubt there." The counter didn't get a reply, there really was no point in Yuzu trying to defend against this, Mei knew and she knew that Mei had inflicted some amount of pain on the girl the night before and nothing would persuade the younger girl otherwise.

At her immediate lack of response, Yuzu scrambled to her feet and sat next to Mei on the larger couch. Risking taking the shaking hands in her own, Yuzu held them tight. "Okay, you are right: you did hurt me _but_ I understand why you did it and like I said, I don't blame you for what happened and I wish it was even a fraction of the pain I've caused you in the past months. You might have hurt me physically, not very much cuz you just have dainty little hands..." She placed a gentle kiss to the cupped shaking hands in her grasp.

"...But I've hurt you in much worse ways. I made you doubt my love for you, make you think that I would want to be with anyone else apart from you and worst of all I made you feel unloved and betrayed. That is a hundred times worse than you not knowing how to deal with emotions that have built up over months of turmoil and inner torture... This entire thing has been my fault and I'm gonna make damn sure I fix it. I caused this and I'm going to be the one to take responsibility so you are not allowed to blame yourself for this. Got it?" Yuzu's voice was uncharacteristically stern as she spoke, making Mei turn and face Yuzu who now had a twinkle of water in her eyes.

"You...you can't just shoulder all the blame, I _hit_ you. Why don't you see how wrong that is?" Mei's voice broke as she spoke, guilt had been her only emotion since waking up a half hour ago. The thought that she had hit her partner sickened her, made her hate herself.

Before Yuzu could say anything Mei met her eye and spoke again, though her voice was strained and pitiful compared to her usual aloof and dominant nature. "You were trying to talk to me, you were apologising and trying to make me feel better and I got so angry I-I hit you. Then I didn't stop, I did it again and again until I couldn't control it and practically screamed at you... That is unforgivable Yuzu, I hate that I willed myself to inflict harm on you when I swore I would be the one person you could rely on..." Her voice now a little more than a whisper, Mei only just managed to keep eye contact with the blonde.

"Mei if I truly thought I couldn't trust you I wouldn't be here. If I thought you had done it because you liked it or that you would do it again without a second thought maybe I would blame you but I don't. Not for a single second. Am I right?" Yuzu asked softly, she had shaken the lump in her throat. At this very moment, she couldn't be sad Mei needed support right now more than she did.

Mei instantly nodded her head, the action knocking the tears in her eyes down her cheeks as she bit her bottom lip.

"Right, you and I both know if you could go back and change it you would because you hate the idea of hurting me. I don't need to forgive you because there is nothing to forgive. I know these words might seem a little tainted at the moment, but I love you Mei with my whole heart, and because of what I did this happened to you. So no, this is not a negotiable matter; This is _not_ your fault and not for another second will I let you believe it is." Yuzu with her voice still soft, had a tint on it's earlier sternness. Would she hell let Mei take the blame for this.

Lifting her hand to Mei's wet cheek, Yuzu gently wiped her thumbs across the puffy skin taking away the tears from them. Bringing herself forwards, Yuzu brought her head closer and bumped their foreheads together before resting them against one another. Staring into the amethyst eyes Yuzu could see nothing but the love she had seen for years, only now there was this flicker of doubt in them no matter how hard Mei tried to hide it, Yuzu saw that doubt within moments of looking into the glazed over eyes.

Closing her eyes and allowing one of her hands to drop to the younger neck Yuzu just sat there and felt the warmth from her partner's skin. They sat for several minutes just feeling the others presence, Mei was getting her breathing back to normal, while Yuzu was just talking in this feeling and hoping Mei was finding the action somewhat consoling

Pulling back, Yuzu placed a small peck to Mei's cheek and pulled her head away.

"Now should we talk about what is on your mind? We never did get a proper chance last night and I can see you are still upset and I won't be okay until you know that nothing is going on." Yuzu gave a small smile after Mei gave her one first with a nod.

"How about we make something for breakfast first, I'm a little hungry and I know you are always hungry in the morning?" Mei continued to give a small smile as she began lifting the bear from her lap to place on the sofa.

With a bright grin, Yuzu gestured to the kitchen. "How would you like to help me make some pancakes?!" Getting from the couch and taking Mei's extended hand, Yuzu marched the two through to the kitchen and began to think that things would be okay. They would make some pancakes, talk casually while they did it together and sit down to their breakfast happily before starting to reassure Mei that nothing really was going on and that the bridge in their relationship hadn't been tarnished.

Cooking was supposed to be something that bonded couples and for Yuzu it definitely was. It was one of her favourite hobbies, it made her happy and Mei cooking with her was always an enjoyable and bonding experience for the two. It seemed like the perfect way to start the day before things might get a little messy later.


	32. The Unintentional Cold Shoulder

**Sorry if this is dragging out too long guys, I know some didn't like the last chapter and perhaps Mei hitting Yuzu was a little too out of character but oh well, what's done is done. This is a longer chapter and I hope it makes up for all the drama in the past few. :)**

 **Also, in this chapter, I wanted to try and tone down the drama a bit and for that to happen I felt like Mei had to let Yuzu know how she was feeling about the incident. So her character does come across as a little inconsistent at times in terms of expressing her feelings and how she wants to go about them. I hope it isn't too weird or out of character for her.**

* * *

"See, that's why I didn't come to you straight away when you brought up the piano. What else Mei?" Yuzu asked with a small smile as she looked at Mei eating a small stack of pancakes.

Like the pair had planned they had made breakfast for themselves and had a relatively normal, if not quite, conversation. For the past twenty minutes or so Yuzu had been explaining, in depth, about why she _lied_ to her girlfriend about her fear of the piano and why she turned to her friends before Mei.

( **I didn't want to bore you guys by writing all of that again cuz I would have just been repeating myself from a previous chapter)**

The talk had gone well and Yuzu, but more importantly, Mei was feeling and looking a little more relaxed.

Lifting her fork to her mouth Mei gave Yuzu a small nod of the head in acknowledgement of her answer before she spoke.

"You told me when we went to buy the car that you didn't ask me about you getting a job because you really needed it, but why couldn't you have just told me that before or what you needed the money for? I would have-ehh _probably_ would have understood." After finishing her statement Mei popped the piece of food into her mouth before watching the blonde.

Taking a moment to think her answer through before she spoke, Yuzu tried to think fast. She couldn't tell Mei that she needed money for but lying is what they were trying to fix, she couldn't just lie again that would be an even bigger breach of the girl's trust.

"I know you might have understood but I wasn't one hundred per cent sure you would. I didn't want to start an argument with you about applying for the job so I waited until I heard back from them." Yuzu answered, her eyes meeting Mei's and hoping she wouldn't push any further on the subject. Which of course she did.

"Okay, but what are you missing out? The only time you have ever even entertained the idea of having a job was when you bought our rings, so what do you actually need it for? And don't say its just saving because you don't even save your money, as soon as you get it and have paid your bills you are out with Harumi." Mei with her voice still somewhat neutral asked. She wanted this to go as smoothly as possible because she didn't think she could handle another night on this bad of terms.

"Yeah, okay your right, but this time I have something I want and I can't get it without a job, well I could but it would take years and years." Yuzu said with a bit of a toothy grin, the image of her girlfriend's future ring popping into her mind, the image unconsciously made her smile.

"And what is it? You better not be wasting money again on anything like your games or a new phone. I swear to god if you have bought a new phone after you just got one a few months ago-" Mei started to get a little off track but her thoughts were put to rest as Yuzu interrupted.

"Relax, I haven't bought a new phone I like the one I already have." Yuzu stopped there, but she could tell that Mei was patiently waiting for her to continue.

Scratching the back of her head Yuzu tried to think of what to say, but the longer she waited for the more she could see the doubt grow in Mei's eyes.

"I can't say, it's not that I don't want to tell you because I really do but it's supposed to be a surprise and if I tell you then it won't be." _That's good enough, she can't make me tell her her surprise that would be the shittiest engagement ever._

Mei did not like the answer she got, not at all. Her eyes narrowed, but she moved on.

"Okay, what was that phone call about last week that you didn't want to tell me about then?" Her tone slightly colder than it was before, Mei waited for Yuzu but she could already tell by the perspiring Yuzu was doing opposite her she was going to get an answer she didn't want.

"That was about the surprise too, I needed to know I had the job or at least had an interview before I made the appointment but I can't really tell you what it was for..." Yuzu dwindled off as she neared the end of her sentence, she knew that didn't sound good. This was supposed to be about reassuring Mei not telling her that she was doing things but couldn't tell her about them.

"I know it's not what you wanted to hear Mei, but the surprise and the thing I am working for they are all for you. I'll have saved up enough in a little over a year so I can tell you then." With an affirmative nod, Yuzu looked to Mei who had lost her annoyed expression for one of complete utter disbelief.

"..." Mei couldn't muster a word. Yuzu seemed so sure of what she was talking about and Mei knew every word was the truth, but what could possibly take up an entire years salary? Plus she had her student loan coming in so whatever she was planning on buying would cost thousands but what _was_ she buying?

"... Can you at least tell me how much you are planning on spending? I mean a year's wages working thirty hours a week as you said you would is thousands." Still full of disbelief, Mei asked though she wasn't sure Yuzu would give her an answer going by the perplexed look on her face.

"I'm not sure that's appropriate, I mean it's for you so should you really know how much it costs when I give it to you?" Yuzu almost stuttered her response, she wanted to make things better and if the girl wanted to know the price as a substitute for knowing what it was then she would.

"I don't think it's inappropriate at all." Giving the short answer, Mei continued to eat her food casually but her mind was searching for possibilities of what it could be.

"Well... I have a little under eleventhousandlefttopay" Yuzu started off slow but when the time came to actually say the price she spoke so fast it sounded all like one word. Used to the blondes rambling, Mei heard it clear as day and actually chocked on her pancake.

At her splutter, Yuzu was quick on her feet to get a glass of water. "Mei are you okay, here drink this." Cautiously handing the glass to Mei who was still coughing slightly, Yuzu sat back down.

"What do you need-" Started the younger girl but before she could finish Yuzu cut in... again.

"Surprise Mei, that means it's a secret, meaning I can't tell you. But I can tell you that I will tell you when I have it and you will completely understand." Giving a weary grin Yuzu watched and hopped Mei would accept her answer.

"Very well, but is it worth it? I know it's going to be your money but I don't want you wasting that much on something impulsive." Mei watched Yuzu closely but the blond was smiling contently as she spoke, not a hint of uncertainty in her expression.

"I've wanted to do this for years and there is very very little that would make me change my mind." Yuzu gave a bright smile and took a bite of her food. A short silence was shared between the two then Mei spoke up.

Apart from the one thing nagging at the back of her mind, Mei didn't really have anything else to confront the blonde on. Yuzu had justified herself in regards to the piano, and now although it was vague she had gotten an honest answer for the other things.

Mei's head dipped down slightly as she spoke. "...Nothings going on?" Her voice quiet, Mei stole a glance at the blonde who had lost her smile.

"Mei... Nothing is going on, I haven't been lying to you I was just trying to plan a surprise for you but clearly, I'm not very good at surprises. I am not doing anything unfaithful towards you and I most definitely don't feel like I can't talk to you... Phew, I'm super glad I got that off my chest, I thought you were going to be mad at me forever." Yuzu gave a small chuckle before she settled down and gave a bright smile, but it faltered again when she saw Mei's unsure expression.

"What is it, Mei?"

"If everything is good between us and you do feel comfortable speaking to me then... can you... tell me who it was? I know things like that shouldn't bother me as much as this and I know sexual dreams aren't always linked to sexual desires. I did a little bit of reading while I was at Grandfathers and I read that dreams of cheating can sometimes manifest from feelings of guilt or stress or sometimes it really is just lust. I won't be mad but it is eating away at me not knowing who it was, I know not knowing is worse than knowing." Mei was so sure as she spoke, her eyes were wide as she made her plea.

"...Mei...I can't. It's too embarrassing... I'm sorry I know you really want to know but trust me you _really_ _don't_ want to know what happened in that dream. You will think I'm super weird and you won't want to... to be with me anymore, that or you won't look at me the same... I can't." Yuzu didn't like telling Mei 'no' but she couldn't bring herself to explain what had occurred in her dream, and she was certain if she told Mei she would not take well to it.

"...Okay." After more than a minute's worth of silence, Mei spoke, her voice low with her gaze on the plate in front of her.

Mei didn't want to seem like she was pushing anything or forcing the blonde into telling her, but Yuzu not telling her really bothered her. But she didn't want to make the blonde feel bad for not telling her when she clearly felt deeply embarrassed by it, but this feeling of annoyance in her chest wouldn't go away.

She didn't want to be mad at Yuzu anymore but she couldn't help it, it wasn't so much anger more annoyance or irritation.

"Mother called, she said she spoke to you but you didn't get back to her. I told her we would be down at some point on Friday, I think it will be in the evening and we can just stay the night." Changing the subject Mei moved onto her phone call this morning where she had spoken to Yuzu's mother about her plans for her birthday. When she had spoken to the older woman this morning her mind was in another place, her thoughts riddled from the night before. Now after talking to Yuzu, and this feeling in her chest made her think clearly.

Mei wanted things to be good between them and what Yuzu had told her now had made things better, but not normal. She could take Yuzu's 'surprise' with a pinch of salt and get on with her day because Yuzu actually couldn't say without ruining whatever she had planned. Though the memory of Yuzu moaning out another person's name brought back the anger of the night she left, manifesting even more so because Yuzu couldn't bring herself to say who it was.

 _I would never leave her over a dream, I don't care what happened in the dream I just want to know who it was._

"Oh okay, if you want to spend your birthday night at Mama's house that cool, we can spend the day together instead. I think Papa is coming home for your birthday so he will be there too." Yuzu tried her best to sound like her normal chipper self but she could see the look on Mei's face, she wasn't blind.

"Thank you for talking to me about this, I am going to go and study. If you aren't busy would mind hoovering the living room? I didn't want to do it this morning in case I woke the neighbours but it is still covered in crap from yesterday and that stain from your noodles needs to be cleaned." Speaking when she stood up and took her plate to the kitchen, Mei didn't wait long before she started heading for their bedroom.

 _Fuck, she's still upset with me..._

Study was what Mei did, for hours. The only time she had actually spoken to the older girl was when she had brought her something to eat for lunch. Taking a break from her studies just long enough to eat the food Yuzu had made her before she discarded the plate on the side of her desk and continued on.

Yuzu was very aware that Mei was still affected by her lack of answers and she also knew that their relationship would only heal with time, and yet she had made it her purpose in life to walk into their room every ten minutes to try and talk with Mei. Every time being shut down after a short conversation or point blank ignored depending on how ridiculous the statement was. Eventually, Yuzu brought her own books out and began to study on the bed, just so she could be in the room and occasionally ask Mei for help just to get the girl to talk to her.

Yuzu knew what Mei was trying to do: She didn't want to be mad or upset at Yuzu, it was tiresome and taxing on both parties least to say it made them both miserable, but Yuzu understood how unsatisfying her answers were for the younger girl. So not wanting to risk blowing up at the blonde, Mei was trying to distract herself as best she knew how- studying.

Every couple of minutes the flick of a page sounded throughout the room, scribblings of pens was a constant sound against the hard wood of the desk and it drove Yuzu crazy.

"Hmm... Mei would you like something to eat or drink?" Yuzu said, her eyes watched the back of Mei as they had done for hours. The perfect posture slumped and she gave a sigh before Mei lightly shook her head.

"No thank you." With her strict position returned so did the sound of pen on paper. After several more seconds of writing, Mei stopped. "Though it is getting slightly late, if you are planning on making dinner now would probably be a good time. Or I can make something if you don't want to." Not wanting to give the wrong impression, Mei finally gave the blonde the time of day she was looking for and continued on the conversation instead of just blunt rhetorical answers.

"Oh! Sure, Mei! Do you have anything you would like?" Jumping from the bed at the opportunity to fulfil Mei's request, Yuzu asked, a small spring to her step as she neared Mei.

"Not really, anything you want." Returning to her rather blunt replies, Mei kept her head down as she continued to scribble on the paper.

Only slightly disheartened by the darker haired girls response, Yuzu made her way to the kitchen to prepare a meal for her girlfriend.

It was only around five giving Yuzu plenty of time to make something for the two, but she wanted it to be just right. She had to at least try and get back on the girl's good books before her birthday, then the thought dawned on her.

What if Mei was still upset with her come Friday, would she make Mei dislike her own birthday? Surely not, that was five days away, giving Mei plenty of time to accept the situation and get over her annoyance... Hopefully.

The next few days had gone very similar to Sunday for Yuzu, only Mei avoided talking to Yuzu by staying late at the library after she had a lecture with several of her friends or just going to the library by herself. Yuzu felt as though she had lived the same day four times.

Wake up in the morning, usually after Mei as she would get up and get her coffee before the blonde. Have a silent or depressingly mundane conversation whilst eating, before one of the two had to head out for a class. If they had their classes were in the afternoon the house was still relatively quiet, with Mei and Yuzu speaking little to one another. A painstakingly silent atmosphere. The rest of their spare time ended with Mei studying in the room or opting for a book while Yuzu did the same with the interjection of her phone of course.

Come dinner time, Yuzu had made sure to have it ready for bang on half past six each night and made sure to make one of Mei's few favourites. Bath and bed was the most solemn time for Yuzu in this cursed routine, with them each taking a bath before heading to bed. But there was no cuddling or spooning, -one of Yuzu's favourites- as soon as they got into the bed Mei would say goodnight and with her back to the blonde, fall asleep.

Yuzu had attempted several times to give the girl a cuddle the first and second night of her being home, but she was instantly shrugged off. It being put down to 'it being too hot' or simply no explanation and her turning further away from the blonde.

Yuzu had given up after that and decided to wait until Mei made the first step in terms of affection.

Waking up the fourth morning, Yuzu had expected to wake up alone but to her surprise Mei was still in bed; facing her, looking at her. Blinking a few time, uncaring for the sunlight that was trying to burn her eyes, Yuzu focused on Mei who was perhaps a foot away from her face.

"Good morning Mei," Giving a weak lopsided smile, Yuzu raised her hand to brush several loose strands out of her face before resting comfortably on the pillow as she watched Mei watch her. Mei seemed to be very focused on her, she had clearly been awake for a while as Yuzu could see no traces of sleep in the shining amethyst orbs.

"Good morning," her voice clear and sweet and a daisy, Mei offered a small smile of her own before falling silent and continued to watch Yuzu.

The pair just sat lying towards one another for a while, Yuzu had no idea what they were doing but she didn't care. This was the first time in four days that Mei had actually looked at her for more than two minutes at a time and she wasn't about to put a stop to it.

Getting up seemed to be on neither of their agendas, as they both seemed to lie content in bed with the other. Mei still felt the same about the blonde and her inability to explain what had happened a week ago, but today was different.

For the last couple of days she might of practically been ignoring her girlfriend on a not too extreme level, but that didn't mean she didn't appreciate her presence. They might have been sitting in silence or muted, brief conversations but Mei liked the fact that Yuzu was there. But today she wouldn't be.

Today she would be leaving to go to her job in the late morning before coming home at two-thirty in the afternoon, only to leave at just after four when Mei would be getting back from her lesson until late that night.

After Mei left for her class that morning she wouldn't see the blonde at all for the rest of the day. Obviously, Mei could go a day without seeing the blonde, she wasn't helpless but for some reason, it stung a little more than usual today.

"I have to leave soon," Mei said quietly as she adjusted her head on the pillow, using the moment to glance to the clock on Yuzu's bedside table.

It was gaining ten at a rapid rate and Mei knew she could only procrastinate getting up for a short while longer.

"If you want me to... I could walk you to your lecture today? I don't have to be at work until twelve so I have time if you'd like." She wasn't a mind reader, but Yuzu could see something was different in Mei today. Maybe it was because she was actually in bed with her, or because she was actually starting the conversion with the blonde or perhaps the longing twinge in her eyes as she looked into Yuzu's. Whichever one, Yuzu was more than willing to take the opportunity to try and mend her relationship with Mei.

Mei stayed still for a moment before she nodded her head at the offer, though it didn't exactly fix this feeling of being away from Yuzu physically when she already felt distanced from her emotionally. Why? She still had no idea, and she didn't know how to fix it.

Now she wanted nothing more than to hold Yuzu in her arms, feel her warm lips on her own and yet she couldn't. She couldn't bring herself to. A single touch from the blonde and images of Yuzu moaning something else flashed through her mind.

That's why this feeling was so confusing for Mei at the moment. She knew how she felt about the situation but she didn't want to feel like this.

She couldn't understand her own thoughts and that frustrated Mei more than Yuzu could at times. Mei didn't like this indecisiveness going on inside her, she didn't know whether to distance herself more from the blonde or try and force herself to act how she wanted herself to. God how it angered her in ways Mei didn't even know were possible. To crave someone's presence and touch but unable to withstand it when she got it.

Tomorrow was her birthday and she knew Yuzu wanted to spend the day with her, but Mei didn't know if she could put up with it. She had purposely planned to stay the night at their mother's house so she would have the distraction of her family to keep her confused feelings of the blonde at bae, but Yuzu would be adamant on her enjoying her birthday and Mei wasn't sure she could do that.

"Yuzu, tomorrow... I don't want you to get me anything." Mei said as she watched the blonde's face drop slightly, she saw the blonde going to protest but Mei interjected.

"It isn't debatable. You told me you have a surprise that is costing you over ten thousand pounds, and whatever ludicrous thing you are buying is for me apparently, so I don't want you wasting any more money. Besides I've decided I'm going to be meeting with Himeko for the day before going to mothers." Mei said firmly, believing that this was best for her feelings at the minute. Yuzu wasn't going to miraculously find the will to explain what happened and to Mei, this seemed like the best option.

If she couldn't figure out her feelings, she would just avoid them. Simple.

"W-what? Why? We have always spent our birthdays with each other, why do you want to spend it with Himeko?" Yuzu was shocked. She had a hitching that Mei would refuse a present from her, but she hadn't expected her to trade her out for the friend.

"You don't have to say it as if its something unthinkable, she is my friend. It is just the way I wish to spend tomorrow. Do you know when you will be back tonight?" Mei kept her tone natural as she spoke, having come to her conclusion and deciding to detach herself from her feelings rather than let them rule her.

Yuzu didn't reply, well not straight away, she managed to hold the snippy comment at arm's length.

"If that's what you want then that's what you'll do. Ehh, I have no idea when I'll be home...I guess I can spend time with you at Mama's, but my class finishes an hour after yours so are we going to drive down together or what would you like to do?" Yuzu, after taking some much needed deep breaths, thought about why Mei was acting like this and put it down to her likely still being upset.

"It would be pointless for us to go down separately. I will come home first and pick you up at the university when your class finishes to save time, as by that time we won't be getting there till one in the afternoon. After, I can drop you at mother's before I go and meet Himeko." Mei said matter of factly.

After deciding to spend as little time as possible with Yuzu to avoid the war in her heart. Mei chose to get up and get ready to go. Now slightly regretting her accepting the blonde's offer to walk her to school.

"Oh, okay..." Yuzu mumbled as she watched Mei leave the bed. "You know Mei, if you are meeting Himeko just so you don't have to spend your day with me... I don't have to come. You can go and see Mama and Papa by yourself if you would enjoy it more. I know you are still upset with me and if me not being there will make you happier I understand..." Yuzu looked away from Mei whos eyes widened in response to the girl's statement. She definitely hadn't expected the blonde to say something like that, and if she was honest she didn't know whether to say yes or no to the offer.

On one hand, she had just told herself to avoid the blonde to try and stop having to deal with her feelings whenever she was in contact with her, but did she actually want Yuzu not to be with her?

"That will not be necessary, it wouldn't be fair for you not to get to see mother and father just because of the things we have going on." Mei knew what she said was true, they didn't get to see their parents as much now due to them being further away, but she couldn't help but think her answer was just a way for her to avoid answering herself. This way she didn't have to say whether she wanted the blonde there or not because she truly didn't know what she would have preferred.

"Mei I'm being serious. You haven't had a proper conversation with me since we talked on Friday morning last week, I know you are still really upset. You enjoying your birthday or at least as much as you can, is more important than me seeing Mama and Papa. It sounds harsh, but I facetime Mama every week and call her so it's fine. I want to know if _you_ want me there because you can't seem to stand me here." Yuzu said she had started off with a caring tone which is what she was going for considering what she was saying, but towards the end, her last sentence was slightly bitter. Unintentionally of course.

"I said come so just come. I'm finished talking about this Yuzu, I'm going to school and forget about walking me I'll go myself." Mei was harsh when she spoke, her voice low and nothing to be reckoned with. It took Yuzu a moment to adjust to cold turn in Mei's voice, she hadn't heard her talk in such a tone for a long time and the sudden change had the girl stuck for words.

Just before Yuzu could retort Mei had already grabbed her bag and a fresh set of clothes before leaving the room. Leaving Yuzu stunned on the bed while Mei, unknowing to Yuzu, crumbled as she made her way down the hall only just managing to keep her cries in until she closed the bathroom door.

 _These stupid feelings, what is this?_ Mei thought as she tried to wipe the tears from her eyes, but she couldn't stop them. Why even when she tried to avoid the blonde was she forcing herself to spend time with her by making her come to their parent's house? Why did she want her there when all it did was cause her pain? And most of all, why did Yuzu have to push on the one button that was so sensitive right now Mei was in shambles crying against the bathroom door?

"Mei? I'm sorry I didn't mean what I said before, I didn't mean for it to sound like I was blaming you or anything." Yuzu said as she knocked lightly on the bathroom door. It had taken a moment but after getting over the way Mei had spoken to her, Yuzu went and found Mei straight away to try and apologise. But when she figured out she was in the bathroom she couldn't even get in because the door was locked.

The door swung open and Mei walked out looking presentable and ready to go, though her cheek was only slightly discoloured now Yuzu still found herself looking at it every time she looked at her. Mei had gotten used to the looks from Yuzu and the people from school, now she looked past it.

"I didn't say you had to apologise, you were only saying what you thought... I admit I have been more distant with you than normal but I don't know what else to do. I want to forgive you Yuzu, I get that you can't tell me about the 'surprise' but you not telling me who _they_ were is not so easily swept under the rug. Don't you think I want to be able to hug you and cuddle you and just be in the same room as you? Every time you speak all I hear is his name, every time you touch me all I can think about is how you wanted his touch. When we had sex the night I came home I was scared to hear what you had to say, so I thought doing that would change things and make me feel like you really did want me, but every single time you spoke all I could picture was you and _him_... I want you Yuzu, but I can't just forget something like this and I don't know what I want. I need you in my life, I want you in my life, but right now no matter how much I want it all it's doing is causing me pain and I don't know how to make it go away."

Mei spoke surely, more confident than she thought she would have. She didn't want to keep fighting like this, she knew she couldn't just not tell Yuzu, that would have just caused more problems for the two but it didn't change how she felt. All her feelings were on the table now and Mei knew it was for the best. She didn't say it to try and make the blonde feel guilty or for self-pity, she wanted Yuzu to know how she felt so she could understand why she couldn't cuddle before bed or why she didn't want kiss good morning.

"And I know that this is hurting you as well. I see it every day when you try and talk to me or when you are looking at me from across the room waiting for me to talk to you and I don't. I'm sorry if this is an issue and you feel like I hate you being here, but the truth is I can't decide whether I want you here or not. I love you and I really do want to be with you but when I am it hurts... and I can't make it stop." Mei had now lost a little of her confidence, speaking her feelings finally catching up with her.

"I'm going to school now, but I think I would prefer to be alone," Mei spoke softly, walking out of the bathroom and towards the kitchen. "Have a good day at work, and I hope it goes well for you I'm sure you will do great. I'll see you when you get home tonight." Mei gave what she could of a weak smile but couldn't muster much, then walked out of the front door.

Yuzu had not managed to say a word since she met Mei at the bathroom door, everything Mei had said had left her unable to speak. Why couldn't she see that Mei felt this way about things, she should have known better than to think something like this would just go away. Why she thought Mei would just stop caring about what she thought had occurred Yuzu didn't know, now that she actually thought about it, it wasn't something she could have forgotten easily either.

Now she wasn't sure what to do. Mei had just told her that her being in her presence hurt her because of what happened, but Yuzu didn't know how to make it better if she didn't spend time with the girl. Whether Mei admitted it or not, she was spending tomorrow with Himeko instead of Yuzu to avoid her, there was nothing Yuzu could do to change that but she didn't how to fix things with Mei if she wouldn't spend time with her.

The thought to tell her partner what had actually happened definitely crossed her mind when Mei was explaining herself moments ago, but she couldn't find the will to speak. Her mouth was dry, she had never felt so parched in her life, but now that opportunity was gone and Yuzu didn't know whether that was a good thing or a bad one.

* * *

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEI!" Ume greeted her daughter at the door, before bringing her into a big hug.

"Hello mother," Mei stated quietly while she waited for the woman to release her.

"Hi, Mama!" With Mei released, Yuzu was engulfed in a hug of her own, her mother smiling happily as she hugged her daughter.

"Come in, I've made lunch for the two of you and I thought we could go out for dinner when Sho gets home." Ume smiled proudly at her two grown-up daughters, seeing them both now twenty-one making her feel slightly old, but proud none the less.

"..." Silence.

Ume looked between the two young women who had both gone quiet. Yuzu had her eyes on her feet, while Mei continued to hold eye contact with the confused woman.

"...Actually, Mother, I made plans to spend the day with Himeko. I can be back in time for dinner, just let me know when Father will be here." Mei said, her voice somewhat nervous and ashamed for leaving their mother as soon as she arrived.

"Oh..." With a quick glance at the two figures two feet apart in front of her, Ume could instantly tell something was wrong with the pair; The distance between the two was a giveaway, Yuzu was always all over Mei, in front of their mother or otherwise. Along with the way the two refused to speak to one another or make eye contact with each other. Trying to recover from her stutter, Ume tried to show Mei she was okay with her decision.

"Well, that's fine by me. Sho should be here for around six, so if you come back around then that would be good." Ume gave her daughter a wide smile which clearly put Mei at ease as she relaxed her shoulders, and let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding onto.

"Thank you for understanding. I'll see you soon, and thank you for the birthday wishes they are appreciated...Goodbye Yuzu." With her thanks to Ume done, Mei edged away from the door towards the stairs only stopping when she heard a cough from the blonde.

"Bye." Yuzu said back dully and watched as Mei made her way down the stairs out of sight.

"What was that all about hmmm? What'd you do on her birthday to make her so mad Yuzu?" Ume cocked her eyebrow at her sulking daughter before giving a childish pout. Crossing her arms over her chest, Ume waited for her daughter to speak but soon realised she was waiting for nothing. With a more caring tone, she continued.

"...Okay, come in and get settled down. It's been a while since you were last here, how about some mother-daughter time while we wait for Mei and Sho to get back?" Ume gave a sympathetic smile and gently rubbed Yuzu's arm as she guided her into the apartment.

Sitting on the couch as her mother brought her a cup of tea, Yuzu let out a sigh before giving her mother a big, Yuzu sized grin.

"It's nothing, but some time together sounds nice I could use the company." Giving a weak laugh, "Ha, I don't think I've had a proper conversation in almost a week." This was true. Since Mei had been talking to her as much as a king would a servant, Yuzu had turned to Harumi, but unfortunately, she said she was busy this week.

Unknowing to what she had said, Yuzu didn't seem to notice the frown on her mother's face.

"If you don't want to talk that's fine, but if you do, you know I am always here." Ume gave another caring smile as she handed off the tea to her daughter, returning from the kitchen with their lunch.

"Yeah I know Mama, but it's nothing really. Besides, I think it would just make Mei madder if I was to go blabbering... How about after lunch we start getting ready to go out? We can try on dresses and do our hair, ohh we can even dress you up pretty for Papa coming home!" Yuzu gave what could have been a squeal of excitement at the thought of trying on clothes and getting her mother all dolled up for going out.

Ume gave a weaker smile this time but chose not to push any further. If they wanted her input on the matter they would ask, until then it really wasn't her business.

"Sure bub, whatever you want." Sitting next to her daughter, Ume couldn't help but smile at the grin on her daughter's face. With the blonde's mood now changed for the better, the two sat in peaceful chit chat for a while until they had finished eating. Both catching the other up on recent affairs and gossip, both eager to listen to the other stories.

Hours passed and the down Yuzu that once was was gone, she was completely absorbed in finding the perfect dress for her mother that would stun Sho speechless. The fashion show the two had going on had Yuzu happier than she had been in days, she even forgot about what was going on in her relationship for a while.

"Mama you look amazing!" Yuzu squeaked as she made Ume swirl one more time in the mirror. With her hair lightly curled, a tight fitted navy blue dress, small heels to match, and make-up Yuzu had placed just right had her mother looking stunning.

"Thank you. You did a good job Yuzu, it's been a while since I got this dressed up. What about you, are you going in your jeans and hoodie?" Ume raised her brow to her daughter, truly finding disbelief in the fact that Yuzu would let herself be outranked by such a scale in something such as fashion.

"I dunno, I know I still have some spare clothes here but I don't think any of my dresses are here." Yuzu's face seemed to drop at the realisation that she might not look as dashing as the others attending the evening.

Sho was fine, he was always wearing a shirt and slacks. Mei had brought formal attire with her suspecting Ume would plan something like this, but Yuzu hadn't thought that far ahead. Though her brow quickly perked up at her mother's next words.

"Well, how about we go and buy you a brand new dress? Make it a surprise for Mei?" Ume looked hopefully to her daughter, confusion taking over when she saw the blonde's smile fade.

"That would be nice Mama but I can't afford a new outfit at the minute, well at least nothing as nice as what you and Mei are wearing. So I guess I'll go and see if I have any nice shirts still here." Giving a pitiful smile, Yuzu made a gesture towards her room, indicating she would go and look, but was stopped by her mother.

"Nonsense. If you can't get one yourself, pick one out and I'll get it. I'm your mother, it's my job to help in such a crisis." Giving a military salute, Ume raised her eyebrow to Yuzu who giggled at her mother's childishness.

"You sure Mama? They are quite expensive-" Yuzu started but she was cut off by a wave of her mother's hand.

"I bought you clothes for eighteen and a half years, I know just how expensive they can be." With a cheeky grin and a wink, Ume began pushing Yuzu out of the bedroom, her tone light-hearted.

"Let's head out before Mei and Sho get back, we've only got around three hours before they will be here so let's stop wasting time and go find you a dress." With her child's smile returned, Ume smiled herself as she and Yuzu gathered their things and left to the shopping mall in search of the perfect dress.

When Mei returned to the apartment block bang on six o'clock as planned, she was surprised to see her father waiting anxiously outside the door with his fist raised ready to knock. He raised his hand again only to lower it in hesitation, Mei both smiled and cocked her eyebrow in confusion at the sight.

"No one will answer unless you actually knock, you know," Mei spoke up as she ascended the last few stairs to the concrete landing, her voice filled with amusement at seeing her father fluster upon hearing her voice.

"Ahh, Mei! I know that obviously- Oh wait, Happy Birthday!" With a large awkward grin at been caught, Sho gave his daughter a brief hug before stepping back.

"Sorry, Ume told me you girls would be here earlier so I was trying to plan what I was going to say without getting all rambily. Which has clearly not gone to plan seeing as I'm here rambling..." Sho trailed off, though smiling slightly as he saw the small twinkle of amusement in his daughter's eyes.

The four years of repairing the father-daughter relationship were one that was still in the works. Mei had fully accepted his path and Sho loved Mei as he always had, but he still travelled just as much as he used to. Returning for holidays and birthdays and rarely the passing visit, making bonding time somewhat limited.

Both parties tried with their best efforts to forward their relationship and with the help from both Ume and Yuzu, Mei and her father were closer than they had been in years. But that didn't mean that moments spent alone with one another weren't slightly awkward, or that he still didn't get flustered every time he was home trying to make the best impression possible for her.

Mei gave a quick 'I see' before walking towards the door, ready to enter.

"Where's Yuzu, Ume said both of you were coming?" Sho asked as he peered over the bannister looking for the normally energetic, loud girl. But he didn't see anyone.

"Yuzu is already here, I was spending some time with Himeko this afternoon," Mei said, her voice seeming somewhat drained at the reminder, though Sho didn't seem to pick up on it at all.

While Mei opened the door, her father continued his ramblings. "Oh right well I don't think Yuzu would have taken that well, seeing as what day it is." Giving a hearty laugh at his own comment, he walked in behind his daughter, Sho didn't take it to heart when he got no response from his daughter.

"I'm back," Mei stated as she walked in the door.

"I'M HOME!" Sho with much less grace and more noise, bellowed into the small apartment, smiling at the sound of something crashing inside the house.

"Papa!" Sho and Mei heard the blonde's excitement throughout the house, but instead of seeing the girl coming rushing out and hugging the man like she normally would they heard Ume's hushed voice.

"Yuzu wait! Mei's there, you need to surprise her." Followed by "Oh yeah, right Mama you go first, and remember to twirl to show your hair." The father and daughter where evenly confused at the hushed conversation going on behind closed doors. However, their thoughts where quickly put to rest as they saw Ume come walking down the hall, heels and all.

Mei rolled her eyes as she heard her father gulp down his excess saliva at seeing their mother.

Though only slightly disturbed by Sho's reaction, Mei could definitely say her mother looked beautiful at the moment. The dress showed her winning physique for her age and with her hair and makeup done outstandingly, she looked to be in her youth.

With the lack of a male voice, Mei spoke up. "You look, great mother." Nodding to the woman in front of her, Mei after getting bored of the silence, gave the tall man a jab in the ribs with her elbow.

"Y-yes! You look beautiful." Giving a bashful blush that made the grown man sound like a teenager, Sho stepped forward and placed a light kiss before smiling down to the shorter woman.

"And Mei, Yuzu is ready for you too!" Excitedly, Ume sounded much like her daughter as she moved aside to free the entryway of the hall. Mei, knowing what was coming next, walked over to and leaned against the back of the couch that faced where the blonde would soon appear.

With a quiet 'Okay', Mei waited for the spoken of to arrive. She assumed Yuzu had packed a dress without her knowing, and had decided to make an effort in hopes of cheering her up.

Feeling an unknown source of excitement, Mei shook her head as she decided just to wait. Yes, she and Yuzu were still on relatively bad terms, but the blonde had gone to this effort and Mei would respect her. It's not like she didn't like seeing Yuzu dressed up, only tonight she wasn't sure if she wanted to have to keep herself from looking at the blonde which she knew she would want to. Who wouldn't want to stare at such a beauty?

But it all came back to that pinching pain in her heart when her gaze lingered too long on the blonde. The one she didn't know how to block out, and the one she would be forced to endure tonight.

Several seconds later Mei was brought out of her thoughts as the sound of heels grew louder, her attention shifting to the hallway. Seeing the girl she was thinking about step out moments later.

Gasp.

Wearing a floor-length navy blue, almost purple dress, Yuzu had Mei speechless for a moment while she took in the sight.

The dress flattering her shoulders, straight away with only small straps exposing the near flawless skin. The material was fitted perfectly to the blonde's chest and waist, showing both the curve of her breast, ample cleavage, and slim torso. From the hips down the material was ruffled and split in the front allowing her smooth leg to show through. The legs that looked breathtakingly long with the help of the heels the girl wore.

Hair. In a high bun, showing off her viciously tempting neck. Small pieces of blonde left down to frame her face. Makeup. There was little; just how Mei liked it. Enough to make it a struggle to look away, and it definitely had Mei struggling.

Dry, her mouth was too dry. She needed something to drink... Maybe Yuzu? What? No! Mei didn't just think that she absolutely did not.

"...Nice... you eh look nice Yuzu..." Mei kept her eyes on the blonde, who was looking back at her. She saw the flash of disappointment in the blonde's eye before a smile cracked over her lips and she spoke.

"Thanks, Mei," Slightly duller than usual, Yuzu gave Mei her thanks, though wishing the outfit would have had more of an effect than 'nice' on her.

Swallowing hard, Mei realised she had done the exact same as her father did moments before.

"C' mon Mei, she looks gorgeous! Don't be so modest." With an honest voice, Sho wrapped Yuzu in a hug, doing his best to avoid ruining her hair.

"Thanks, Papa!" Her cheeks flushed with the compliment and she smiled even more when she saw the small twinge of blush on Mei's cheeks as she still had her eyes on the blonde.

"Yuzu picked this one out just for you Mei! She wanted it to be just right for your birthday, don't you think it's more than 'nice'?" Ume said as she walked over to sit next to Mei on the backrest of the couch, slipping her arm over the younger girl's shoulders.

In response, Mei looked up from the dress to Yuzu, who now wore an embarrassed blush as she waited for Mei to continue. With a slightly larger blush of her own, looked to her mother to avoid the other set of emeralds.

"As I said, Yuzu has dressed suitably." Trying not to linger too long on the subject of just how fucking stunning Mei thought her girlfriend looked at the minute. Mei picked up her keys again and walked to the door.

"I'll go and get my dress from the car then, I shouldn't take more than ten minutes to get ready so we can leave soon," Mei said as she made sure to keep her gaze on her mother.

"Pfft, don't let Mei's modesty get you down Yuzu; You look wonderful, I'm sure she just doesn't want to admit it. So where are we going all dressed up like this?" Sho said as he rested a hand on Yuzu's slightly sluggish shoulder as he turned his attention back to his wife.

"Well I have made reservations at the restaurant on xxxx street, I took Mei there once before and she really liked it so I thought it was a safe choice." Ume smiled as she spoke, knowing she had picked a place that although was extremely expensive was one that Mei loved.

"But Mama that place is so expensive! Honestly, I could buy a week worth of shopping for the price of one meal." Yuzu said, exasperated at the idea of spending so much on a single meal. Even more so that her mother had taken Mei there and not her.

"It's her twenty-first Yuzu, money isn't a problem besides, I know you spent more than the price of what this meal is going to cost on your birthday night out, only Mei will remember hers you didn't. Anyways it's worth it: there is a live band every night, a dance floor if you should get the courage to go up there and you are getting a five-course meal. So stop complaining and don't worry, dinner is on Sho." Ume smiled wildly while she flashed her gawking husband a wink, Yuzu gave a sigh of defeat as she nodded to her parents.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to ask you but how did your job go last night? I'll ask you now so that Mei doesn't have to hear about it all over again." Ume looked back to her daughter who was cut off by Sho. "What?! Yuzu got a job? When did this happen?" The pair didn't know if the man approved or not going off his expression.

"Uhh Yeah, I got a job as a waitress at an Indian close to Mei and mines apartment. Sorry, I didn't tell you, Papa, I kind of forgot. But it went really well and they said I got the job. It was a lot more tiring than I thought it was going to be, but they were super busy even though it was a Thursday. It's supposed to be that busy all weekend sometimes throughout the week, which I guess it really good. But I officially start next Thursday." With a bright and accomplished smile, Yuzu felt so happy when she saw the shin in her mother's eyes.

"Oh, congratulations Yuzu!" Taking her in a hug, Ume was very happy for her daughter, though slightly confused when her younger one walked into the room with a perplexed look on her face.

"Congratulations for what?" Her voice no longer neutral but piqued with curiosity, Mei asked as she came closer to the three.

"Yuzu was just telling us how she got the job she applied for. You must be super proud of her." Sho stated as he gave Yuzu another light pat on the head. Mei, however, creased her brow. "You got the job?" Mei asked, her voice showing the hurt at not being told first, her expression the confusion of it.

"Ohhh, emm Yeah. My boss told me last night before I left. I got back after twelve last night and I didn't want to wake you up... I guess I kind of forgot..." Yuzu trailed off as she eventually managed to peel her eyes away from Mei's who's were showing pain at the moment.

 _Crap, I should have just told her on the way here... But she didn't look happy, but now she's even madder at me..._

"Right... Well done, I had confidence you would do well." Mei said with a faint smile as she excused herself with a bow and made a beeline for the bedroom to get dressed. Yuzu gave an awkward smile to the two people standing in silence behind her, neither knowing what to say.

"You didn't tell Mei?" Yuzu tried to avoid eye contact with her mother for fear of the lecture she was about to get.

"I just forgot about it, alright?" Yuzu said in a low tone, silently asking her mother to leave it alone. Which she did. Very reluctantly.

"I'm gonna go and talk to her, we'll be two minutes." Speaking as she had already begun to turn around, Yuzu only paused as she heard what her mother said.

"Just remember that it's her birthday." Ume's voice was somewhat superior. It wasn't like Yuzu wasn't obscenely aware that it was her partners birthday, it was the reason why she was going to wait until she told Mei the news.

Continuing her walk down the hall, Yuzu knocked lightly on her old bedroom door, knowing that Mei would have gone in there to get ready.

"Mei? It's Yuzu, can I come in please?" Unlike she had suspected, the door opened quickly and she was met with a... shirtless Mei? Realising that she had stared more than a moment too long and that Mei hadn't let her see even a fratching of skin since the night she returned, Yuzu fixed her gaze on the wall beside her. Hoping the action would show her partner that she was trying to respect her wishes and would abide by her rules.

"I ehh, wanted to come and talk... explain myself before anything escalates too much. B-but if you would rather I wait until tomorrow when it isn't your birthday I understand." Flustered and blushing more than necessary, Yuzu stuttered the sentence out, taking her eyes off the wall when Mei began backing into the room, showing her bare legs along with the nude back.

Taking it as a sign to continue, Yuzu scrambled in the room and shut the door behind her. Once inside she faced Mei but shut her eyes tight; if she could see then there was the temptation to look at Mei's naked form, and that couldn't happen, she had to take that possibility out of play and so squeezed her eyes shut as she began talking.

"I'm sorry Mei!" Her hands clasped together in front of her as she tapped her fingers mindlessly against the back of her hands. "I know we just talked about keeping secrets and me lying but I promise I wasn't!" Accompanied by an apologetic bow, Yuzu straightened up and continued.

"I was gonna tell you last night about it if you were up to talking that is, but when I got home it was super late and when I came to bed you were already asleep. I knew you had class early this morning and you looked tired so I didn't want to wake you... I tried starting a conversation in the car but you just shot me down, so I thought maybe you were mad that I came home so late last night and weren't talking to me. It's your birthday so I didn't want to force you to talk to me because I know it hurts for you at the minute, so I was just gonna wait until tonight when we were in bed or tomorrow morning." With her explanation over and no response or sign of movement, Yuzu took the silence as unspoken anger. Giving a final bow, Yuzu turned around and opened her eyes to leave Mei in peace.

"Can you zip up my dress please?" Mei said quietly, stopping the blonde's hand just before it hit the door nob.

When Yuzu turned around Mei's hair was pulled over one shoulder, exposing her back and neck. Yuzu's eyes flicked down to look at the dress, she had seen Mei wear this one before but she was still beautiful in it.

A slightly unsaturated red dress clung to her chest and waist but flowed freely from waist to her knees. Yuzu gladly stepped forward and raised a shaking hand to the zipper on Mei's dress. Slowly and gently Yuzu pulled the zip up the length of the girl's back, her eyes following the movement every step of the way.

"You look beautiful Mei," Yuzu whispered as she trailed her fingers back down the now done up zipper, removing her hand when she realised what she was doing.

A subtle 'thank you' could be heard in response as Mei turned around to face Yuzu, her hair now sitting across her back.

"Ehh sorry, I didn't realise I was doing that, it won't happen again." Yuzu apologised as she grasped her hand in her other, hiding them behind her back as if that would concealed what she had done. Not sure whether she should leave and give Mei the space she had made clear she needed yesterday, or stay and hope that Mei would talk to her. She wasn't exactly screaming at her to get out, but it wasn't ideal chit chatter.

"You don't have to apologise, it's a habit. As I said, I'm glad your induction went well, but I think we have kept Mother and Father waiting long enough." Mei said though she didn't make a move for the door.

After sever more moments of silence Yuzu made to make a step towards the door but was stopped by the sound of Mei's voice. "Emm, you look beautiful too," Even as a mumble under the breath, Yuzu turned and smiled at Mei. Both happy at the fact that all the effort she and her mother had gone through had actually worked, but also at the fact that Mei was clearly making an effort in taking a step forward here.

"Thank you very much." Yuzu smiled softly to Mei who had a tinge on her cheeks. Opening the door to the hall, Yuzu gestured for Mei to leave first before following closely behind her. Upon entering the living room, they saw that Sho had changed into a slightly less crinkled shirt and had a freshly shaven face. Most likely orders of Ume.

"You girl's ready to go?" Ume asked as she turned around from fixing a grumbled Sho's tie. Mei nodded signalling she was ready to go, and with a glance to Yuzu who imitated the gesture, soon all four were in Sho's car on their way to dinner.

 **Okay, so I'm stopping this chapter here. I thought about just continuing it on but I don't know how long this night is going to be and I didn't want to keep you guys waiting too long for a chapter.**

 **I hope you enjoyed it and I really love hearing your thoughts on the chapter, critical or otherwise, so let me know if you liked it.**

 **And a heads up that Yuzu _partner_ will be revealed in the next one, some won't like it but I think it's the most realistic turn of events. ;)**


	33. Birthday Girl Honesty and Apologies

**Hi everyone. A small disclaimer: the details on the food in this chapter, even though it's kinda a bigish factor, will be kinda vague. I'm not the type to go to the places I'm writing about in this chapter so it might be a little off, but it is just how I imagine things would be. If it's off a lot in terms of service of food types just pretend it's right. ;D  
**

 **Please note that later in the chapter you will find some parts that are underlined, this is meant to represent something being scribbled out. It will make sense when you read it. ;)**

* * *

"Thank you, your soups will be around ten minutes. Can I get anything else to drink for you?" The polished waiter asked as he looked at the four people sitting in front of him.

Everyone already had a drink, however just as Sho was about to excuse the man Mei spoke up. "A bottle of your finest red wine please?" With a smile, the waiter nodded, "Of course madam," Then with a final bow he walked away.

The round white cloth-covered table was situated just to the left of the stage which was currently being played on by a classical group, the soft melody giving a relaxing vibe to the room. Going around the table; Sho, Ume, Yuzu then Mei.

The place was packed, a light cheerful buzz emanated off the place, everyone was dressed just as formally as the four were at the moment. It was clear to anyone that the place was currently being used for many types of meetings, some business other personal, yet there didn't seem to be any sort of tension in the room. Well aside from the small ripple between a certain dark-haired girl and a blonde.

Yuzu offered a small smile to Mei when she turned back to her family, not bothered by her choice of drink which clearly Ume had slightly disapproved of going by the look she was giving her youngest daughter.

The woman had never been against them drinking alcohol, but Yuzu guessed since her mother knew 'something' was up, Ume must have assumed Mei was drinking because of that. Yuzu, however, knew Mei better than that, if she was drinking for such a reason she would have ordered a stronger drink; her preferred 'I want to forget' drink was vodka, the raven-haired girl drank red wine as a luxury, not an escape. So Yuzu was not bothered in the slightest, rather it reassured her that Mei was at least trying to have a nice night.

"Wow, this place sure is fancy Mama, how come you've brought Mei here before but not me?" Yuzu said as she looked at her mother with exasperation. Though she was quickly dismissed with a wave of her mother's hand.

"It was about a year and a half ago, you were staying the night a Harumi's and Mei and I fancied going out." Ume gave a sly grin to her blonde daughter who's jaw was dropping while Sho gave a light laugh.

"Anyways birthday girl, how was your day? Did you do anything special with Himeko?" Her mother changing her attention from the blonde to the young woman sitting next to her, and gave a smile as she prompted her to speak.

"Nothing in particular. We went out for a late lunch then we went back to her house for tea. We talked for a while and got caught up, though I did meet her fiance, he was a very nice man and she is happy." Mei gave the short explanation as she told the activities of her day, a small, almost none existent to the untrained eye, smile while thinking of how her friend had found happiness. Her day was nothing elaborate, but then again she didn't want anything like that. A quiet meet up with her best friend was one of the best ways Mei could spend her afternoon.

"W-When did that happen?!" Yuzu spluttered over her water, her eyes going wide at the thought of Himeko getting married... before her.

"Himeko getting married or her being happy?" Mei said, unimpressed at the outburst. Why did Yuzu find it so hard to believe something like that would happen for her friend. Her tone had taken a slightly colder turn, half intentional half unintentional, and because of that Yuzu had eaten her response and sat like a scolded puppy.

"He proposed to her two weeks ago, she mentioned it to me over the phone, but today was the first time I have actually seen him. He's a true gentleman, I don't think she could have found someone more fitting." Mei said as she looked towards her family, surprised, or perhaps irritated when the blonde spoke up.

"Seems a little soon though, right? Didn't they just get introduced to one another like eight or nine months ago?" Yuzu asked, curious as to how the girl's relationship had progressed so fast, yet a moment later she wished she had kept her mouth sealed shut.

"Not every relationship gives reason to doubt. She loves him and she is happy, and he returns that love without a hitch of betrayal." Bitter, it came out so bitter and aimed towards the blonde nobody spoke. Mei had made eye contact with Yuzu before she started taking and she was sure she actually saw Yuzu swallowing the saliva in her mouth.

 _Idiot, why did I say that! No, I didn't mean it to sound like that it just slipped out._

Sho gave an awkward cough and was eternally grateful when he saw their waiter returning. "Ma'am, sorry for the wait." Politely introducing himself back to the table, the young man poured Mei a glass before leaving the bottle on the table and excusing himself once again.

"...Sorry...I'm happy for her." Yuzu said her voice on the verge, maybe beyond the verge of trembling. Why did Mei saying that suddenly make her want to burst into tears? Her tone was accusing, aimed, cold. Her gaze much the same.

Her features softening at hearing the wavering voice, Mei took her sights off the blonde, all it was doing was causing her to lash out.

A seemingly impenetrable silence covered the table, all around them was laughing and happy chatter but it did not spread onto the Aihara table. The invisible field was broken when an arm placed a small bowl down in front of the three women then Sho, bringing their attention from one another to the waiter.

"Here you are, if you need anything please ask." A practised smile and nod of the head and the young man was gone again, clearly having other tables to attend to.

When Yuzu looked back up from her bowl, her eyes met with her mothers. Her seemingly furious mother. Yuzu felt like her mother was burrowing into her mind her stare was so intense. Yuzu knew exactly what her mother was saying: ' _You better not have done that'._ It was obvious. Ume didn't know Mei as well as Yuzu did, but what she had just seen gave her every reason to believe she had just figured out what was going on between the young couple.

Yuzu didn't move, her eyes fixed under the mighty stare down of her mother. Something she had never wanted to take part in. For her mother to look at her in such a way, where she was asking such a question. At her lack of a non-verbal reply, Ume's eyes seemed to open wider if it was at all possible; Mimicking the rise of a voice in a spoken argument. Mustering a shake of her head to her mother before stealing a glance at her girlfriend, who was acutely aware of the exchange going on between the mother and daughter.

Yuzu's gaze landed on her soup, taking the spoon in hand she tried not to focus on her mother's line of sight that she could still feel on her.

"Apologies, that ruined the atmosphere. I didn't mean anything by it." Mei said, feeling the guilt of the reaction she had just watched. Enjoy the night, or at least don't start an argument or start anything with the blonde for the night. How hard could that be? Apparently very.

This was the longest Mei had actually spent with the girl, talking and actually trying to make conversation but it was proving to be harder than Mei predicted. Especially when a certain event kept her mind awake, fueling her to retort and counter everything the blonde said. Why? Again Mei didn't know. She had told herself she would treat tonight as any other so as to keep their parents out of it, and yet here she was making passive aggressive blows when all Yuzu was doing... was being Yuzu.

"Ri-Right, well I'm glad you had a nice day. How's school, I haven't heard anything about your Univerity in a while?" Sho stated as he shrugged off the awkward encounter like a feather from his shoulder.

"It's going well. Top of, or at least near the top of the class. As usual." Mei said. Adding in small pieces of information when it occurred to her. This made everyone at the table smile in acknowledgement. This would usually be the blonde's cue to jump in and back Mei up, praise her to the world's end, but she didn't; She sat silent, her teary eyes still on her soup.

It was moments like this that Yuzu wished some of her 'cry babyness' had rubbed off in high school, she severely disliked that even being scolded in a harsh tone by Mei had her tearing up. It sounded pathetic to most and to Yuzu. So, in hopes of avoiding getting her head bitten off again, Yuzu sat quietly, her focus on finishing her soup.

The conversation continued somewhat normally. Sho had forgone any caution and had returned to his normal self, Yuzu did not. She kept a low profile at the table, only speaking when spoken to or making small comments, this of course only kindled her mother's curiosity and maybe anger.

The four entrees came and went and a long wait, or what felt like one for the youngest couple, finally their mains were here. More than an hour and a half had passed with the silent tension, and Yuzu thought as she observed her girlfriend that she might have actually been starting to enjoy the boring small talk their parents where initiating.

Sho was quick to fill any pauses in the conversation with stories from his travels in recent months. Yuzu listened, intrigued by the stories. The last time Sho was here was for two weeks before summer break and before that was Christmas and new year. It had been many months and he had many tales to tell.

"...And while I was there I met the cutest little baby boy, one of my students became a mother over the Christmas period and she came back to the school to show him to me. Said I was her greatest influence." Puffing up his chest, Sho gave off a wide smile as he relayed his story onto his daughters, Ume had heard this one over the phone several times now, clearly, the man was very proud of this little anecdote.

"That's great Papa, I bet you did an amazing job teaching." Yuzu popped in, giving a smile at her father's achievements. Though only to choke moments later.

"Which brings me to my next subject of the evening. Yuzu, Mei, I know you two are still young but I'm getting older now. I want to know when I'm going to get some little grandchildren? I was thinking three maybe four, but I guess that much is your choice." Sho said, a smile on his face as he eagerly anticipated the replies, hoping to get an agreement. He did not. Not from either.

"W-What?! Papa, it's waay too soon to be thinking about that sort of thing. I mean we haven't even talked or anything!" Her cheeks crimson Yuzu stuttered her response to the man. Though he did not give in.

"Awe come on. I know it's still early but you can never start thinking too soon, I mean it's not like anything is going to happen to you guys so there really is no harm. So how many are we thinking!?" Sho said, his hands clasping together like a child.

Ume held her the bridge of her nose, she did not think this was going to end well. She could clearly see the fire in Mei's eyes at the mention of the conversation, something her kid of a husband was oblivious to. It being too late to intervene, Ume had no choice but to sit and watch the events unfold. She watched as Mei's small smile that had been plastered to her face at hearing her fathers stories slowly faded away, every time Yuzu shut the man down Ume observed as Mei's smile got smaller. When finally it was completely gone, all that was left was the glower her younger daughter had, but Ume couldn't decipher what she was glaring at. She wasn't looking at her father nor the blushing blonde, she looked to be in deep thought at the words being spoken.

"Papa I really don't think we're there yet!" Yuzu said in a rushed voice, perspiring under the pressure. Sho went to continue his pestering of the subject but was put to a stop as Mei spoke first.

"No, we aren't. Some of us still have other _things_ they would rather do before they want to settle down. Children are the last thing going on in her mind, or at least with _me_ anyways." Mei had kept looking at her hands while she spoke, though it wasn't until she had finished did she realise the grave mistake she had just made.

Both Ume and Yuzu gasped at the words and Mei suddenly felt like the entire world was watching her.

 _Why couldn't I keep my mouth shut? FUCK. It's true though... no, it's not. No, please stop looking at me like that._ Mei looked around the table, all eyes were on her. Sho, his mouth hanging agape, not missing that blow at the blonde and having nothing to say to relieve the situation. His travels seemed to pale in comparison to what he had just heard.

Ume's eyes were wide with confusion, realisation and then rage. Before Ume had time to go off on Yuzu like Mei knew she would, she flicked her eyes to the blonde. Tears welled in the girl's eyes, her eyes just as wide as her mothers but her expression of hurt and shock pained Mei much more.

"Yuzuko Aihara! You better hope to god that I've misunderstood this or you will have my entire wrath to look out for. Explain yourself right now!" Ume was brutal when she spoke, her words and tone making everyone at the table flinch and cower. The woman may have been small and usually cheerful but she had a temper like nothing else.

Mei had only ever bared witness to Ume truly mad the first night Yuzu had gone out drinking late, but she hadn't been as forwardly cold as she was now. Even then Mei didn't think the woman was as angry as she was now, that night Mei had defended the blonde and asked their mother not to yell, tonight was a different matter. She would not put herself in front of the fuming woman right now, for fear of her life.

Even if the words were directed to the blonde, Mei shrank in her seat and when she looked up saw her father swallowing loudly in fear. She dreaded to think what Yuzu was feeling under such a stare.

While Yuzu crumbled under the use of her full name, Ume had many thoughts going on in her mind. Surely her sweet baby girl hadn't done such a thing. She loved Mei and wasn't shy about it, no way would she cheat on her, never. Yet the comment and actions of her younger daughter all night pointed that it was true. So who did she believe, her enraged raven daughter or a daughter cowering from her with a guilt-written, shocked expression?

The table stayed silent, apart from Sho's swallowing. Too long had passed and Mei watched as Yuzu managed to look away from her mother and to her. Hurt, confusion and sorry filled the eyes, they were taken from her and returned to her mother when the woman spoke again.

"Yuzuko, I refuse to be ignored! If you have disrespected Mei in such a way, so help me," Ume spoke again, her voice penetrating the already silent table.

"I- I... Mei?" Yuzu tried to speak, but she suddenly had what she thought was stage fright. She could feel the dooming stares of both Sho and her mother, her relationship with both of them relied on what came out of her mouth next, but she found it impossible to speak. If anything she felt that Mei required more of her attention than her parents did, and yet she found it near impossible to go against her mother right now.

It was too much for Mei, she hated this, she had put the blonde in such a position just because she couldn't keep her own bitter remarks in check.

"Please excuse me," Mei said quietly. Getting up from the table Mei didn't even bother to give a bow to her parents, her mind focused on getting out of that situation as fast as possible.

Tears? When did that happen? Mei wasn't sure, she hasn't even realised until they were already falling.

"Mei wait!" Yuzu pleaded as Mei walked past her to get to the exit of the restaurant. When she didn't stop Yuzu reached a hand out to grab onto the girl's wrist, only to stop when she remembered that doing so would break the unspoken terms of Mei and herself's relationship.

Mei kept her pace, almost as if she had felt the blonde going out to grasp her.

 _No, no, no. We can't run away from this any longer._

Getting up from the table in a hurry Yuzu forwent the calls of her mother to sit down, instead chased after as formally as possible, her girlfriend who was already out of the building.

Today was not the day to wear a floor length dress, it only allowed Mei to get the upper hand in running away. When Yuzu was finally out on the glowing street she glanced in every possible direction for the sobbing woman.

Shifting to the public, Yuzu turned to a young man at the front of the restaurant's doors.

"Excuse me, you didn't see a young, beautiful black headed woman run out here did you? She was wearing a red dress, and her hair is almost as long as her back? Umm, she might have been crying and running?" Yuzu hoped her brief description of her lover would be enough for the young man and it seemed someone was looking out for her as the man nodded.

"Yeah, just a moment ago. She tried to get a cab but there wasn't any here so she ran around the corner. I assume to get one on the next street." Explaining as he raised his hand and pointed to the right where the pavement only lasted a couple of meters before turning the corner.

"Thank you!" With a rushed bow and a shouted thanks, Yuzu rushed off in the direction of her partner, trying her best to lift her dress to ease her mobility.

As Yuzu turned the street she was met with her girlfriend hailing a cab, if she wanted to stop her now was her last and only chance. Making up the distance quickly Yuzu managed a ragged cry of her lover's name just as Mei was leaning to open the door to the cab.

At hearing the cry Mei's head flicked up, tears now, although less, still falling down her cheeks, seeing the blonde coming running towards her Mei pulled the door of the cab open as fast as possible; Hoping to escape the blonde before she reached her. Mei felt horrible for putting not only herself but Yuzu in that situation. She had made the blonde's mother look at her that way because Mei implied that she had cheated on her, when all the blonde had done was dream about someone. It hurt Mei a lot, but what she had done in there she felt was unquestionably uncalled for.

She was confused, again. She had obviously said those words because she was still hurting but she couldn't help but feel the teeny tiniest amount of truth in them. She wouldn't have said them otherwise. Yet she also knew that Yuzu loved her, the blonde had tried to show her that this week whether she was recipient to that love or otherwise. Facing the blonde was not something Mei felt she could do at the minute, she was a mess, she wasn't thinking right and most of all seeing the blonde... angered her?

Yuzu had put them in this situation, she was the uncooperative one, she refused to tell Mei who it was, she was the one who let Mei's mind wander. If she had just explained what had happened then they wouldn't be here, and yet Mei still felt as though she didn't have the right to force the blonde to talk and therefore didn't have the mental restraint to keep her retorts at bae. So she couldn't speak to her, not right now.

"Mei! Please wait!" Yuzu cried out, only just getting to the cab door in time to stop Mei from getting in. When she got there, Yuzu broke the new rules and took Mei by the wrist, removing her hand from the car door and slamming it shut before signalling for the driver they no longer required the taxi. Letting go as soon as the car pulled out, Yuzu tried to steady her breathing. Her heart was racing so hard she swore the people walking in the street could hear the pounding as loud as she could.

"I'm sorry!" Yuzu said as she released her grip, taking a small bow before going to study Mei's face. Shock was the primary feature, but then she looked away from Yuzu while trying to wipe the droplets on her cheeks. Her tears finally stopping as she tried to calm her nerves.

"Yuzu, please... I want to be alone right now, I'll explain to mother that you did no such thing tomorrow but right now I just need to clear my head." Mei said as she as held her hand out trying to get another cab, that for some reason seemed to be non-existent the only time she actually needed one.

"Mei wait, please. What you said in there, did you mean it?" Yuzu asked as she took a step closer to Mei, her heart still pounding as she waited to hear what the younger girl truly thought about her view on their relationship. When a lack of response came, Yuzu took a step forward hoping to get her attention and make Mei see just how serious Yuzu was at the moment. However, at the advance, Mei only took a step back.

"What does it matter?" Mei said coldly, doing her best not to make eye contact with the blonde. The remains of the blonde refusing the matter with her father ran through Mei's mind, having the perfect timing.

"You showed clearly that it wasn't on your mind, so it's pointless to discuss it." Yuzu managed a heavy breath in when she heard the words. Though now was not the time for getting angry, she wanted to resolve the issue with Mei and for that to happen she needed to let whatever blows Mei was going to make go.

"No Mei, I said we haven't really talked a lot about it. Not that I hadn't thought about it because trust me, I've imagined a little me and you running around a sweet little house a thousand times. Just because I've imagined having a family of our own doesn't mean we are actually ready for one. But if you wanna have a baby, we'll have a baby!" Yuzu said the last part a little too loudly, earning several disapproving looks from people, her cheeks turning ruby again when she realised how loud-mouthed she was being.

"Don't put words in my mouth Yuzu. I never said I wanted to have children right now." That's what came out, but what Mei was really thinking was that Yuzu had been imagining their little family. Children, a house, it all. That's what Mei wanted for their future, but how could Yuzu say she wanted that when she was having those types of dreams and not trusting Mei enough to know who the occupants where?

"Grrh, Mei that's not what I'm getting at, I wasn't trying to put words in your mouth. I was saying that if you wanted to or were thinking about it you have to talk to me so we can figure out what is best for us, or else I won't have a clue what you are thinking. Listen... I'm sorry you feel like this but you have to believe that I really do love you, I wouldn't want to spend the rest of my life with or have a family with anyone other than you. You know that right?" Yuzu asked hopefully, praying that what Mei had said inside was just her anger and not her true feelings on the matter.

"I... I asked to be alone." Mei after almost answering the question, looked completely away from the blonde, bearing her back towards her and facing out toward the road, desperately wishing a taxi would rescue her right now.

Not feeling satisfied, Yuzu continued, her voice a little more forceful hoping that Mei would see that she really wanted this discussed and over with without any complications.

"You can't just run away from this, you have to talk to me and tell me what your feeling otherwise how can I fix it? You don't think I want to start a family with you? Or that I don't want to be with you? That I want to go around sleeping with everyone that comes my way?" Mei's eyes widened as she heard the blonde asking if she thought Yuzu wanted to act like some sort of slag. Of course, Mei knew Yuzu wasn't the type to go around doing that sort of thing.

"Well, I don't. I want to be with you, have children with you and sleep only with you!" Yuzu said again, emphasising her point by raising her voice, not as loud as before but enough so that she saw Mei's shoulders tremble and she hesitated.

Though it seemed Yuzu had spoken too late as a cab was just pulling up in front of the two girls and Mei immediately went towards it. She turned briefly to the blonde, her hand shaking as she rested it on the side of the car preparing to get in it.

"Forget it." Low and distant the reply came and as Yuzu watched Mei open the door and begin to take the first step off the pavement, her mind went into a panic. Was this it, was Mei really so upset with her that she couldn't even talk about her feelings now?

No, Yuzu refused to let this happen. She had had enough of this crappiness. She didn't care about what Mei might do if she found out, she cared about Mei knowing she cared about her

"IT WAS YOU!" Yuzu shouted at Mei's back, the girl froze. Unmoving. Caught between the blonde's words and stepping into the cab that was impatiently waiting for her to get in.

With lack of movement, at least Yuzu knew Mei had heard her. "It was you, Mei... Please just come back here and talk, I'm begging you not to get in that cab, please." Yuzu pleaded, her voice breaking at the end. She said the truth, now all she needed was for Mei to stop her retreat and come back to her.

"Impossible, don't lie Yuzu," Mei said after an eternal silence, stepping further off the pavement toward the car.

"Are you getting in or not?" The driver asked impatiently at Mei who was still not in yet. Feeling that Mei wasn't going to listen to her and jump in the cab, Yuzu lept at the opportunity. Taking Mei by her upper arms, Yuzu pulled Mei back off the side of the pavement, almost as if she was dragging her.

"No thank you, sorry for the inconvenience." Yuzu said in a rushed voice as she closed the door and turned back to Mei who was sending seething glares at her. Mei watched in something like shock as her second potential cab for the night drove away, now what did Yuzu think she was doing grabbing her like that?

"I'm sorry Mei, but I knew you were going to leave and _we_ need to get through this." Yuzu pleaded, but she didn't move any closer to the younger woman.

"You were dreaming about a man, don't try and deny it Yuzu. If you aren't going to tell me the truth as you've already shown you don't want to, then don't talk to me about it. I'm still coming to terms with the idea that you even thought about doing that, unconscious or otherwise, but it doesn't mean I'm happy. I explained all this to you yesterday and after what father brought up I lost it, I'm not proud of it and as I said I will rectify it tomorrow morning, but don't lie just to get me to stay. I will not thank you for that." Mei said coldly, making a motion to return to the side of the road and hail yet another cab, but she was stopped as Yuzu moved to counter her movements every time.

She was not about to let Mei get away again. It was true that Yuzu was the cause of this and she didn't want to speak her mind but that was before she had seen the impact it was having on her girlfriend. Yuzu after yesterday had felt extremely guilty about not explaining what had happened to Mei, but today after hearing what Mei actually thought Yuzu broke. She would rather risk her relationship and tell Mei what had really transpired that let it fall apart over scenarios Mei made up to try and get some answers.

"Mei I'm not lying to you, I promise. Please just hear me out," Yuzu pleaded again, this time risking taking a step closer. Now with a little over two feet separating them, Yuzu waited in silence for Mei's verdict.

After a long minute of Mei eyeing Yuzu and the sincerity of her words, Mei spoke. "Fine, explain." Speaking somewhat coldly, Mei wasn't sure if she should be kind to the blonde for telling her the truth - according to Yuzu- or remain angry at her and her actions until she got the full story.

"C-Can we go somewhere a little more private? You do understand what I'm about to explain to you and I don't think the middle of the street is the right place to do it..." Yuzu said, her cheeks going red when she thought about what she was just about to say to Mei.

"Then where would you propose? As you seemed to have scared off all the cabs on the street." Mei said keeping to her cold appeal.

"Yuzu, Mei?" Sho's voice came from behind the two of them: A warning for what was coming. Mei looked around without a bother, meeting her fathers gaze but Yuzu knew better, she knew what was behind him.

"Yuzuko!" There is was. There was her raging mother. Yuzu cursed herself for leaving the table the way she did, but it seemed like the right thing to do, it had stopped Mei from leaving only now her mother looked infuriated.

"Ume, I think you should calm down? People are starting to stare," Storming straight past Sho, who had tried to stop the woman but having no luck, Ume made a beeline for her biological daughter. Yuzu debated risking making a break for it, but she knew her dress would only slow her down.

However as Yuzu waited for the impact of her mother's words, she kept her face to the ground and waited for the onslaught, but it never came. Instead, she heard Mei's voice, and saw Mei standing in front of her?

"Mother please stop. What I said in there was a misunderstanding that Yuzu and I have settled now. Yuzu has not, that I'm aware of, cheated on me or been with anyone else. If your anger should be aimed at anyone it should be me for ruining the lovely night you had planned. I'm very sorry for walking out and ruining the meal, but if it isn't too much to ask I need to spend some time with Yuzu alone, and for that to happen she needs to be alive." Mei said, starting with her apology and bowing to the woman, then giving a grateful smile to her mother's when she saw the anger in her eyes dissipate.

"And to your knowledge?" Ume said, looking around Mei's shoulder to see the blonde, who as now watching Mei, but her attention was quickly given to her mother.

"N-N-No Mama! I'm sorry for being rude, I just needed to make sure Mei was okay!" Yuzu squeaked and gave a dramatic bow to her mother, who had lost the fire in her eyes at hearing her daughters words.

"Well alright then, Sho lets go drinking!" Her anger disposed of like a mask, Ume smiled brightly and exclaimed to her husband. Yuzu and Mei let out sighs of relief at the statement and Sho a chuckle.

"Papa, would you mind dropping Mei and I off at the house first? We've got some talking to do and it's getting a little chilly out here." Yuzu gave a hopeful smile to her stepfather. When he nodded in agreement Yuzu let some of her built up stress leave her body. Sure she still had the mighty task of explaining to Mei what had happened, but the girl already knew who it was, all Yuzu had left to do was tell Mei how it was her in the dream when the younger girl was adamant it couldn't possibly be her. That was going ot be a very difficult sentence to get out.

"Do you mind Mei?" Yuzu asked as she looked over to Mei who was standing still. "No, that would probably be best." Mei nodded and began making her way to Sho's car that was parked moments from the four.

The ride back to their mother's house was a relatively quiet one, with Yuzu and the younger girl not speaking a word to one another. When the car finally stopped, Sho, being the gentleman he is, opened both doors for his daughters and gave them both a shy hug and kiss on the cheek.

"Again, I'm sorry if I ruined your present. I very much appreciated dinner, it was just as good as I remember it being. I would also like to apologise for any tension I caused this evening between you." Mei bowed genuinely sorry for her behaviour. Though their parents weren't having any of it.

"Nonsense Mei! All we want is for you to be happy, we can always take you out for dinner another night. Do you girls want me and Sho to come back later tonight or late morning?" Ume said with a raise of her eyebrow to her daughters, knowing full well that her younger birthdays weren't spent sleeping with her significant other, rather _sleeping_ with them.

"MAMA!" Yuzu's cheeks bright again as she caught onto what her mother was suggesting, though it seemed Mei didn't quite catch onto the innuendo, answering casually.

"Whenever you would like to come home is fine, it's your home and it would be rude to keep you out of it," Mei said, curious as to why Yuzu was beet red.

"I see, well we might be a while, I'll text before we get here," Ume grinned as Yuzu continued to grow redder if it was at all possible.

"Thank you, we will see you later," Mei bowed again and began making her way towards the building, shortly followed by the blonde who gave their parents similar thanks and goodbyes.

"It's cool that Mama kept the room the same even after us being gone so long," Yuzu smiled lightly as she stepped into the room, admiring how it looked just like her high school years, only without all of their personal objects.

"Cool wouldn't exactly be my choice of words, but I see your point," Mei said as she sat on the bed and began taking her shoes off, standing a moment later with her back to the blonde. "Can you unzip my dress?" Moving her hair to the side in a single sweeping motion, Mei waited while Yuzu stuttered a 'yes' followed by the shaking hands on her back.

When the act was done, Mei graciously let the dress slide down her form, showing just how beautiful she was. Yuzu was captivated by the sight, she couldn't muster herself to look away, not for a single second. Mei's snow white skin, her prominent silky hair and the way it complemented her tone or her luscious body that Yuzu couldn't bear to be away from. Her smooth hips, perfect -to Yuzu- curves, her slender legs, everything. It had the girl mesmerised, unable to utter a word.

Though Yuzu's show was quickly over as Mei was soon dressed in her nightwear of matching short shorts and a long t-shirt. Still, Yuzu found her breathtaking.

"Are you getting changed?" Turning around Mei was not pleased to see Yuzu still standing fully dressed and watching her.

"U-uh Yes, sorry!" Yuzu gave an impulsive apology before turning and began trying to undo the small zipper on her back, but seemed to be having unrealistic trouble with it. Grunts of dissatisfaction were heard and foot stomping was almost an option for the girl, but then she felt a small warm hand on her back, accompanied by a heavy sigh.

"Let me do it." Mei had all but lost her superiority act and was now talking to the blonde in her normal, although relatively neutral voice. Although she often spoke to the blonde in a happier more content way, Yuzu was just happy she was starting to calm down, maybe she would actually believe the blonde when she spoke next.

"Thank you," Yuzu smiled at Mei, and the way even after the zipper was down Mei held her hand on the blonde's lower back for several extra seconds.

Soon the two were sittings on their old bed, a silent room that had so many words being spoken between the two; What they wanted to say but couldn't find the courage.

"This brings back memories don't you think?" Yuzu said quietly while running her hand over the freshly made bed, her mind wandering to their younger days together. Yet her reminiscent was stopped as Mei spoke up, facing the blonde, but not really looking at her.

"That's not what we're here to discuss Yuzu. Mother and father will no doubt be back soon so let's get this over with before they arrive home." Still not taking on a completely warm tone, Yuzu gave a sigh before she spoke again.

"Yea, I know that Mei but I don't know what to say, or where to start." Yuzu dropped her head in mortification and shame, for not knowing how she was going to tell Mei what had happened and stalling on the matter even after she had promised to explain it.

"Well let's start with the fact that you said it was me, yet in your dream, you were commenting in his penis and moaning out 'Meino'. I think that's a good place to start: how I am in any way related to that, because I guarantee you, that not either of those things applies to me.

Not as bitter as her previous words that night, Mei's words were still slightly hateful and dismissive to the blonde's claim of it being her.

"No, Mei really it was you!... I was emm, no you were there doing that and I was down, no emm you were dressed like them and I was like them too. Shorter hair a little, maybe? No. I watched-" Yuzu's unsuccessful job of an explanation was cut off as Mei raised her hand to silence the blonde, totally confused by what she was trying to convey.

"What on earth are you trying to say? Think before you speak," Mei said, no longer cold. Yuzu took a few deep breaths and Mei noted how pink her cheeks were at recalling the activities of the dream, scanning the room Yuzu's eyes lit up.

"Would, would you mind if I wrote it down instead? If you have any question then you can ask me?" Yuzu prayed Mei would take to her suggestion, she didn't think she would get the story out otherwise, or at least not in a way that Mei would understand. Her thoughts were all over the place and she was struggling to put a proper sentence together without being totally humiliated by what she was saying. But then again, she would be humiliated when Mei read what she was going to write.

Mei made a gesture for the blonde to do as she pleased, and at the blessing, Yuzu sprang from the bed to her old desk where she found a notepad and pencil. Grasping them, Yuzu made her way back to the bad and sat down crossed legged across from Mei. Who was trying her hardest not to look at the writing until the blonde was finished. The younger of the two waited silently as she watched Yuzu write, she was writing quite a lot, she had hesitated several times before continuing to write, seeming to decide to add whatever part she was debating about putting in.

A page and a half later, Yuzu put the pencil down and looked over to Mei. Was it wrong that she was slightly turned on by what she wrote, at the remembrance of the fantasy?

Looking between Mei and the book a few more times, Yuzu nervously handed the book over to Mei. She watched and waited and slowly Mei's cheeks got a little blush on them, turning the page Mei continued to read without stopping, her hand following the lines she was on. Following her progress down the page Yuzu knew exactly what she was reading, and what had made Mei's cheeks turn a little rosy.

 ** _You were you only you asked me to call you Meino. It really was you._**

 ** _We were at home and I had just gotten home from the hospital and I was still dressed in my doctors uniform. The scrubs, white coats, anyway then you came into the room but you were dressed as a nurse._**

 ** _Like a really really hot one. You came towards me and you straddled my hips 'cuz I was sitting on the chair in our room. I didn't question it obviously, who would?_**

 ** _We started making out_ _You pushed me back into the chair and started kissing my neck and running your hands over my body, then we started making out._**

 ** _It lasted a while then you got up and started to leave towards the door, but before you left you told me to get on the bed, I did of course and waited for you to come back._**

 _ **You came back a second later with your blouse undone and your skirt pulled up. You umm looked pretty (very) h-hot. You also had a strapon on.** _(At this point the word was almost illegible, Yuzu's obvious attempt to disguise what she had written)

 ** _I didn't say anything and just layed still, you came over and pushed me flat on my back and started kissing me again. Then I was naked and you started feeling me. I ehh asked you what we were doing and you said 'You've been naughty today, ignoring me all day for the other nurses' Which I would never do just so you know, 'Since you were looking elsewhere I decided to show you who's boss. So I'm gonna fuck you so hard and you are going to love my dick.'_**

 ** _You said that then pinned my arms above my head and kissed me again, much fiercer than last time. You were rubbing it against me and I kinda really liked. I moaned out your name like I always do, but you pulled back and then covered my mouth saying 'Not tonight. Meino, I'm going to fuck you with my dick so tonight I'm Meino.'_**

 ** _You said it so confidently. To start with I said no, that I'd call you Mei, but then you started teasing me and said you wouldn't give me anything unless I called you by your 'stage name'. So I did._**

 ** _We were erhh role-playing, that's why you had that thing and didn't have your usual name, but Meino is just like the male version of Mei so I thought it was okay._**

 ** _So we started to you know 'do it' with that, and you had tied my hands together with your white nurse's belt so I couldn't move my hands. It didn't last long as I ehh came pretty fast._ **This had been one of the parts Mei watched Yuzu hesitate on writing, now she knew why.

 ** _You said it was my punishment and once wasn't enough, so you put me on my hands and knee's and you went, went behind me. But you touched me in all the right places, like how you roll my ehh part in your fingers or run your hands up and down my waist and ribcage, it was just the same as real life so I knew it was you. A figment of my imagination or not._**

 ** _Anyways, we did it a few more times in different positions and the final time we did it, you... you had me back in a similar position as the second time but we were both standing at the bottom of the bed, but you had me bent forwards so I was holding myself up against the edge of the bed with my hands. It was kinda the same as before but this time when you did it you_ _hit m_ _e , spanked me. It wasn't hard or anything but you done it and sorta groped my ass. It wasn't bad, it... turned me on more. Then you put your fingers Ehh in my ahh eh, what I did to you the night this all happened, but a little more forceful well not forceful but more than I did._**

 ** _That happened for a while and then we both collapsed onto the bed and you took the toy off. I was exhausted well in the dream anyway, and I went to cuddle into you but I woke_ up.**

Yuzu waited anxiously as she watched Mei. Maybe she shouldn't' have written all that, maybe she should have just told Mei what they were doing not a map of how the night unfolded.

Mei was a fast reader, and yet the small pages in the notebook where taking her some time to read, Yuzu would have spoken up and asked if she was alright if not for the looming possibility that Mei would think her kinks were a little too much for her.

"Well... That was emm, detailed." Mei said after a long, long silence. Swallowing the built up saliva in her mouth, she hadn't meant to but while reading she had created a very clear picture in her head and god she liked what she saw.

It wasn't just Yuzu's imagination, Mei was subtly rubbing her thighs together, wasn't she?

"This... is what happened?" Mei asked as she looked up from the pages that were ever so intriguing to her, to the jittering blonde. Yuzu gave a fierce nod, hoping Mei's next words would be somewhat kind, she literally just told her something deeply embarrassing, if Mei were to judge her here and now Yuzu didn't know how she would take it.

Getting over the not so dormant arousal between her legs, Mei put the book down and looked over to Yuzu who was watching her every move like a hawk. "If this was what happened, then why didn't you just tell me? I came up with so many different people and scenarios that you wanted over me. It caused _us_ so much more pain than necessary, why didn't you just tell me this in the first place?" Mei asked, relieved but confused at finally knowing what had occurred.

"Why? Maybe because we've never ever used one of those, or done anything like role-playing before? We've only slept together like..." Mei watched in amusement as Yuzu did a rough calculation in her head. "...like one hundred and ten times, one fifty max, but I seriously doubt we've had sex three times a week that many times. What I'm getting at is that we haven't been sleeping together for that long and you have never given any sign that you were interested in things like that, so I thought you didn't approve of it or something." Yuzu stopped for a moment to catch her breath and figure out what she was going to say next.

"You are so perfect and amazing I didn't want you to think I was super weird or for you to be grossed out by any of it. I mean it seems a little weird to me that I would dream about you like that when you have never done that before. Well, you've 'Punished' me before but nothing like what happened in the dream. So that's why, I thought you would really, really dislike what happened." Yuzu said, her voice still shaking, Mei didn't seem mad but she wasn't hugging her or holding her hand. So she wasn't angry but not happy?

"Yuzu first off, your math is wrong. We have slept together three times a week more than six times, a lot more if I remember." A small almost cocky smile to the blonde and Mei continued. "I have never shown an interest in that sort of thing because neither have you. I don't need something like that for me to feel pleasure from you, having you is enough for me. If you wanted to or have thought about using something like that how was I supposed to know? I'm not judging you for it Yuzu, loads of couples use that sort of thing, and if you want to try it with me then we can." Cheeks were so, so red. Mei felt they were so hot she could have cooked something on them.

The blonde seemed to jerk at the words, seemingly not thinking that that could have been one of the possible answers.

"You, you don't think I'm totally horrible or creepy?" Yuzu asked, just to make sure she had understood Mei right. "No Yuzu, I don't think you are creepy for having a dream about me." Mei gave a soft smile to the anxious girl in front of her. The amount of relief Mei saw in her expression was almost worrying, was Yuzu really so sure that this would have broken their relationship?

"You should have more faith in me Yuzu. I know I don't always show it, and I can sometimes be remarkably aloof and distant towards you, but I really do love you. If I couldn't accept something as small as what you like in bed then this relationship was never going to last. And like you said earlier, I want it to last, for a lifetime." Mei smiled to Yuzu and for the first time took her hand. "You need to trust me, believe that my love for you will be more than whatever it is you are troubled about."

Grateful for the gesture Yuzu gave Mei's hand a light squeeze back, but she needed more at this current moment. Leaping forwards, Yuzu took Mei in a soul-crushing bear hug.

"I'm sorry Mei, I will from now on," Her head tucked in the crook of Mei's neck Yuzu finally felt the warmth she had craved for the past week. It was not long before Mei surprised Yuzu by bringing her hands up and around the older girls slim waist, tightening the embrace.

When the hug ended the two sat side by side on the bed, and before long Yuzu looked up at the sound of Mei chuckling softly to herself.

"What so funny?" Yuzu prodded as she turned to Mei who was smiling with not only her mouth but her eyes, eyes that were shining brighter than they had in a while.

"Nothing, just that _this_ is what you've been hiding." Yuzu frowned slightly at the words but the sound of Mei laughing soon returned the smile to her face. Bringing herself closer to the laughing girl, Yuzu drew her hand up to cup Mei's cheek.

"I love you Mei, and I'm sorry again," Yuzu said, bringing her head in closer to Mei who had stopped her giggling. The pair spent a moment looking at one another, both finding great interest in the eyes of the other, but a touch she had not felt in too long pulled Yuzu's head closer until her lips brushed over Mei's, ghosting them. Testing them, seeing if Mei wanted her to touch them.

She did.

When the blonde pulled back millimetres, Mei made up the space, connecting her lips to the blonde's, loving the feeling of them. The touch was like a lightning bolt of electricity to Yuzu and undoubtedly Mei as she pushed herself deeper into the kiss. Ending the innocent kiss, Mei continued to rest her forehead against the blonde's, their noses just bumping.

"I missed you," Mei whispered, her eyes closing as she felt the blonde against her without having any negative thoughts drilling their way into her mind.

Being in the same room as the blonde, talking to her, touching her without having the thought that Yuzu wanted another, was something Mei had missed more than anything in her life. She had felt like she was suffocating this past week, her life without the blonde was a solemn one for Mei and one she never wanted to experience again.

"I missed you more," Yuzu smiled as she stroked the back of her fingers over Mei's cheek. Mei managed a laugh before things went silent again. A peaceful silence, one both girls enjoyed.

"Would you like to get something to eat? It's pretty late and we only had a small bit to eat at the restaurant before we left," Yuzu asked, concerned that her girlfriend was as hungry as she was. It was still her birthday and nobody should go to sleep hungry on their birthday, Yuzu most certainly wasn't going to let her girlfriend go to bed without a proper meal.

"I would feel bad using mothers food without asking, especially after she and father just wasted so much on that meal. SO how about we just go out ourselves? The sushi place and the ramen hut that you used to love are just down the street if I remember correctly, we could just go and have a quiet night out?" Mei gave the suggestion and she thought she had never seen the blonde smile brighter than she did.

"Of course, that sounds amazing!" Getting from the bed, Yuzu handed Mei a hoodie form the closet and took one for herself.

"Yuzu I'm still in my pyjamas, I need to get changed," Mei said while putting her clothing the blonde had given her down on the bed. Though severely confused when the blonde threw her hoodie over her head, smiling brilliantly at Mei while holding a black pair of leggings out.

"It's your birthday, and there is nothing more annoying than having to put a bra back on when you have just taken it off. So" Yuzu picked up the hoodie the girl had layed on the bed. "We are just going to relax in these hoodies and no one will ever no. Besides, it's your birthday you should be super comfortable. But you have to put these leggings on or you might catch a cold." Yuzu gave a cheesy grin to Mei who was shocked beyond understanding at the minute.

Yuzu had already put the hoodie over Mei's head and was in the process of lifting her arms through the sleeves. "But that is very inappropriate," Mei said, not fighting what the blonde was doing. It did seem like an awfully hard task to put her undergarment back on and the idea of just masking her lack of one with an oversized baggy hoodie was _very_ tempting.

"No questions!" Yuzu grinned at Mei standing in her hoodie, a grin on her lips too. It took moments for Mei to discard her shorts for the leggings and soon the two were walking down the street hand in hand with knowing smirks on their faces. Something about doing this seemed absolutely ridiculous to Mei but the other part loved the freedom she had only just discovered.

"So which one do you wanna go to?" Yuzu asked as she held onto Mei's arm. Her smile never leaving her lips, she didn't know if she would very be able to stop smiling now that she was on the same page as Mei.

"I'm more of a sushi person, but if you want we can go to the ramen place I know you like that one more?" Mei said as they turned the corner to the two upcoming fast food stalls. Smiling with a roll of he eyes at the reply she got, "Sushi it is!" Yuzu gave a quick skip of her feet in excitement.

"I really did miss talking to you Mei, it feels like forever since we did something like this," Yuzu hummed happily to Mei as they entered the makeshift restaurant.

"We had takeout, and lots of it before I left last week?" Mei said with a cock of her brow to her girlfriend, knowing what she meant but playing with her all the same.

Yuzu only smiled as she walked Mei into the restaurant, not giving into the bait her lover was laying out perfectly for her.

The row of food chains was well hidden down a small street, hidden to most and so few tourists where there and Yuzu felt the place was homier. Each restaurant or bar was relatively small, only holding about a dozen people at a time, though the one they were going in held about twenty people at a time with chairs outside and smaller booths inside. This restaurant was a little on the expensive side, but nothing that Yuzu didn't mind paying for the quality of the food they got.

"Do you wanna sit inside or outside?" Yuzu asked as she neared the counter for ordering. In reply Mei pointed to a small booth at the very back or the place, it was cosier and seemed more intimate to the younger girl, that and it was getting a little too cold outside.

Yuzu smiled and told Mei to go and grab a seat while she ordered the food.

"Good evening, what can I get for you?" An older man smiled down to Yuzu. "Good evening! I have a little list I would like, would it be okay to get about half a dozen of each of these types of sushi?" Yuzu asked with a bit of embarrassment at asking for so much and for special treatment for a dish or plater that wasn't actually on the menu.

"Of course, go ahead when you're ready," The man gave a cheerful smile as he readied his pen and pad.

"Okay, can I have Akami, Tobiko nigiri, Toro, Saba, Tekkamaki, Kappa Maki, Sake Nigiri, Maguro nigiri, Uni, and can I just get two Mushi Ebe?" Yuzu, when she was finished, blushed as the older gentleman laughed at her.

"Do you have anywhere to put all that sushi?" The man laughed looking at Yuzu's small frame. "Can I get any drinks for you?" He smiled as Yuzu puffed up her cheeks.

"Umm just some Ginjo Sake, please. Umm, could I ask a favour? Could you put all the sushi on like a big plater, and make it look really pretty, like colour coordinate them? It's my girlfriends twenty-first today and sushi is one of her favourites, so I just want it to look extra good. I'll happily pay any extra fees for the time and effort too." Yuzu smiled at the man, who nodded with a bright, understanding smile. "I'll bring it over as soon as it's ready." Yuzu nodded and walked over to Mei who was patiently waiting for her partner to get here.

"That took a while, what took you so long?" Mei said as Yuzu sat down opposite the questioning girl. "Oh, I was just taking my time to make sure I ordered the right food. I was trying to remember what all your favourites are." Yuzu grinned to Mei who was sceptical at first but decided to let it go.

"How did your job go yesterday? I wasn't actually sleeping when you came in, I waited up for you to get back to make sure you got home alright but you were tired so I just let you sleep. I think you sighed a total of eight times in the five minutes you spent in the room after your shower before you got into bed." Mei said, feeling only slightly guilty for pretending to be asleep.

"What?! You should have told me, Mei!" Yuzu exclaimed at the realisation, but Mei just shrugged her comment aside and waited for the blonde's explanation. She might not have really wanted the blonde to get the job, but as long as she had it Mei would want to know how her day had been. Yesterday being her induction, Mei hoped it had all gone well.

"It was good. I started just getting shown around the place, where things go and where certain things are. I met the bosses first then the other front staff, there were three others on last night but I was told including me there are seven in total. I met the kitchen staff and the chiefs as well and they were all super nice. Since yesterday was quite busy I was sorta shadowing a girl for the first three-quarters of the night, her name was Makiko but she said for me just to call her Maki. So she was really nice and showed me how to do most things, she also said that she works most weekends so I'll see her a lot." Yuzu rambled on and on, finally able to tell her first night working to someone.

"So it got really busy around half seven and I got a little confused with the number of orders, but they all said that they were all the same and I'll pick it up quickly." Yuzu said as she watched Mei smiling adoring at her.

"I'm glad you had a good time then. I'm sure you'll get the hang of things quickly." Mei commented as she looked to the coming waiter.

"Ladies, your sake," The younger waiter brought over two small cups and pored each of them before standing. "If you would like more, please don't hesitate to ask." A bow and he was gone, Mei, however, looked up to the blonde.

"Alcohol?"

"Well, it's your birthday. Plus we're having sushi, what else would we drink with it?" Yuzu smiled and took Mei's hand in her own. "I know you don't really like celebrating your birthday, but I want you to at least try and have a nice night." After a kiss to the back of Mei's fingers, Yuzu gently played with the gold ring on the girl's right ring finger. (I know in the manga they have it on their left hand but Yuzu is gon' give our girl a real ring so I'm changing this part).

"A little alcohol isn't going to hurt anyone and it's just a sociable drink so it's okay." Yuzu looked up to Mei from the ring, a small smile was spread over her lips as she watched the blonde play with the ring on her finger, "Okay," Mei answered and decided to allow the blonde this one drink. Or maybe a few, they were celebrating after all.

"What sushi did you end up ordering?" Watching the kitchen to see if any food was coming to their table, Mei felt her tummy grumble at the sight of it going past her.

"A couple of different ones. But I didn't order any squid or octopus," Yuzu grinned to Mei who visibly cringed at the mention. She hated squid and octopus with more than necessary passion, Mei didn't dislike the taste but all she could imagine was the living tentacle covered creatures. Something she did not like to think about when eating, so as a rule, Yuzu chose not to eat those things when Mei was there even if she did like squid.

"Good," Mei replied, a silence falling over the table at the lack of any conversation topics in the blonde's mind.

"You look pretty," Yuzu blurted out the words before she had a chance to second guess herself. A pair of leggings and a light blue two sizes too big hoodie is not something Mei would have classed as something pretty, but then again Yuzu wore stuff like this all the time and she always looked good.

"Uh huh." Mei hummed to the blonde, not feeling the need to return the compliment when she had already commented on the girl's dress earlier that night.

"...Mei?" Yuzu said unpretentious, catching Mei's attention. "Yes Yuzu,"

"I'm sorry I hurt you..." Her voice was hushed and apologetic, a tone Mei wasn't used to the cheerful blonde using. "Yuzu we discussed this, I said it was fine and that there was nothing to worry about," Mei tried to reassure but it seemed her words didn't quite hit home.

"Only it isn't. I can't properly enjoy myself until I apologise correctly. You left on Thursday in tears, you cried your way to Gramps and you cried when you came home. You've cried yourself to sleep three of four nights this week and I haven't shown how sorry I am for causing you all that pain. I made you do the thing I hate seeing you do most, and worst of all you couldn't even look at me or ask for comfort. I am supposed to be the person you come to when you need help and I made it so you couldn't, I made you suffer alone. So I'm sorry, for all of it. You shouldn't have had to leave, and you shouldn't have had to hide your feelings from me, so this is my formal sincere apology." Bowing as best she could while sitting down, Yuzu wished Mei could see how sorry she felt about the whole ordeal. Especially when it was resolved so easily when she just told the truth.

"You don't need to say that Yuzu, I can already see how sorry you are, and I've made mistakes this week too. Grave ones, that I pray I will never make again, but you shouldered that blame to try and make me feel better. I know you feel guilty, but there really is no point in dwelling on the past. So how about we just focus on our future and pretend this past week of horror didn't happen?" Mei lifted the blonde's chin with her hand and wait for the smile she knew was coming.

"Okay," Yuzu responded, her hand reaching up to take Mei's in her own, kissing her inner wrist before allowing it to be returned to her partner.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear..." The waiters trailed off, but Yuzu caught on quickly, "MEI" At the continuation, everyone joined in again "Happy birthday to you! Hip hip! Hooray! Hip hip! Hooray! Hip hip! Hooray!" The restaurant was lively as all the other tables present seemed to join in the song, all shouting 'hooray' along with all the staff.

Yuzu was grinning like a mad man, her eyes fixed on the display in front of her. There was one main waiter in front holding a small cupcake with a candle in it. Behind her, Yuzu saw two waiters holding a large wooden board, of which she couldn't quite see the display on it. Behind them were the few other waiters the restaurant had, all singing to Mei who had a face of horrification.

Her cheeks were bright red and she was suddenly very aware of her lack of clothing, everyone would see. Though she didn't quite have time to think about that as the waiter placed the cake down in front of Mei and Yuzu spoke up, excitedly kicking her legs under the table at the surprise.

"Go on Mei, make a wish!" What could have been a scowl to the blonde later, Mei took a moment before blowing out the candle on the small desert, erupting the whole restaurant in applauds.

Soon after, the large wooden board was placed down in the centre of the two, Yuzu took in a breath of shock and delight when she saw it.

Like she had requested it was colour coordinated, but the design made her smile gaily to Mei who was still sitting silently as she eyed the sushi presented to her while the staff trickled back to work.

In the centre of the board was a large '21' made up of the tuna-based sushi's, going from a darker red at the bottom to a lighter more vibrant red at the top. The Tobiko nigiri she had ordered were positioned around the twenty-one with three on each side, Yuzu thought they looked like fireworks. Along the bottom, the Tekkamaki and Kappa Maki were made into large swirls, extending along the entire length of the board. The two Mishu Ebi placed in both top corners of the board. Yuzu thought it was breathtaking and quickly brought out her phone to snap a few pictures.

A few more moments passed and after Yuzu was finished taking her photos, she looked up to Mei who still hadn't spoken. "Mei are you alright?" Yuzu asked as she put her phone down, worried that she had upset the girl by her lack of response.

"I'm fine, I would have appreciated some sort of warning though. I didn't really appreciate that sprung on me." Mei said while she admired the design of the food in front of her. Then she looked properly at the food in front of her, then to the blonde.

"Yuzu there is like sixty pieces of sushi here, this is going to cost a fortune," Mei said as she eyed all the food on the board, Yuzu had ordered many of her favourite sushi', but spending this much seemed a little too much even for Mei.

"One, don't worry about the price, and second I didn't know they were going to do that. I swear it. I just asked them if they could make the food look pretty because it was your twenty-first. Nothing about singing or causing a scene." Yuzu defended herself as she watched Mei. She was slowly letting a small smile form on her lips as she looked over the beautiful arrangement of colours in front of her.

"Thank you, Yuzu,"

"Can we take a picture together?" Yuzu asked nervously while holding up her phone and pointing towards the food before they started eating it. Mei didn't even think before she nodded in agreement. Yuzu was about to shuffle around to Mei's side of the table but stopped when she heard the man who had taken her order's voice.

"Would you like me to do that?" He gestured to the phone and Yuzu gave him a grateful smile.

"Please," The two sat at the back of the booth and had moved the plater so it was facing away from them towards the camera, Yuzu had wrapped one arm around Mei's shoulders the other was holding the board at a slight angle so that the camera could see it better. Mei, like Yuzu, had one hand holding up the plater the other she had been told to put around Yuzu's waist as if the waiter was a real photographer. The waiter counted down from three and Yuzu was happy to see Mei giving a rather lively smile.

It got to three and the photo was taken with the two girls, Yuzu more than Mei, smiling brightly to the camera. The second photo Yuzu waited until the last moment, before turning her head and giving Mei a kiss on the cheek. The man only chuckled as he saw Mei's cheeks heat up in embarrassment. Handing the phone back to the blonde, he walked away wishing them a good night, leaving the two alone.

"Why did you do that?" Mei said while rubbing her cheek with her first, questioning her girlfriend's planned act.

"Cuz it made a really good photo and you owed me one from last Thursday when you guessed the takeaways wrong, you still have to give me a kiss on the cheek, but we can do that another day." Yuzu grinned as she looked at the picture on her phone, it was taken fast, swiftly, so much to that Mei was still smiling while Yuzu was kissing her. That along with the great show in front of them made Yuzu love the picture even more. Going into her setting, Yuzu instantly swapped out her home screen picture for the newer one. After all, that one was just of her goofing off with Harumi and as much as she loved her best friend, Yuzu loved this picture more.

"So let's eat!" Yuzu exclaimed as she motioned to Mei to take first dibs. Yuzu was happier than she thought she could have been with the way this night had gone. Given, the outburst at their first stop had been slightly unnerving for her, but it lead to this, and this was happy. Both Mei and Yuzu were happy, for the first time in over a week they were both happy in the others company.

A week may not have seemed like a long time, but when you spend every day of your life with someone in a relatively happy environment you get used to it. It was safe to say that both Mei and Yuzu never wanted something like this to happen again. It no doubt would eventually, but they hoped it would be a ways away.

Several hours had passed when the two were just finishing off the last of the sushi, both stuffed full but Yuzu was confident she had some space left to finish the few remaining pieces.

"If you are full don't force yourself to eat more, it will just make you feel sick and give you a sore stomach," Mei said as she took her final sip of sake and placed her chopsticks down.

"I know, but I want to eat it unless you want some more?" She replied with her chopsticks holding out one of two remaining pieces of food to Mei who quickly shook her head, "No thank you," With the few words the sushi was gone, disappeared into the oblivion that was the blonde's stomach.

"Do you want another drink before we go?" Yuzu said through a still slightly full mouth, motioning to Mei empty cup. "I've already had five Yuzu, I'm sure our bill is high enough without adding any more to it," Mei said as she recalled all the drinks they had had that night, along with enough sushi to adequately feed four.

"Nonsense," Yuzu grinned as she motioned Mei's small glass to the waiter who was quick to bring the bottle over. Filling both cups, the young woman smiled and excused her self after making sure everything was fine.

"Really?" Mei said with a raise of her brow and cocked her head to the side, eyeing the blonde and her intentions. However, she only grinned "Kanpie!" Raising her glass to Mei Yuzu waited for Mei to follow suit before giving a gentle clink of their cups before taking a small sip, smiling all the while.

Following the sip was the last piece of sushi before the older girl placed her utensils down with a satisfied sigh. "That was amazing," Yuzu said as she looked over to Mei looking for some sort of confirmation from her girlfriend.

"It was," There it was, and she was smiling. It wasn't as big as Yuzu's grin but then again Mei's smile wasn't as big as Yuzu's was, so the small smile that rested on her lips was enough for the blonde.

"Do you want dessert?" Raising her hand to the second menu on the table Yuzu stopped when Mei took her outstretched hand. "No Yuzu, I'm full and you are well past full. How about we just finish these drinks then get the bill?" Mei said, her voice soft and understanding. She knew that Yuzu was only trying to make tonight as nice as possible, and although not usually one to turn down dessert, Mei felt stuffed. She wanted a nice relaxing walk home, before going to bed.

"Whatever you want," A smile and Yuzu waved the waiter over again, "Hi could we get the bill, please?" Yuzu as she smiled up to the older man who Yuzu had first spoken to when they arrived. "Of course, I hope everything was to your liking tonight," The man said as he addressed the two young women, "It was lovely thank you," Surprising to Yuzu it was Mei who offered the man thanks, and she gave a small bow and he grinned in pride at her kind words.

"Thank you, I'm glad to see you enjoyed it, I'll be right back with your bill,"

"So, how's your day been?" Yuzu asked as she rested her head in the palm of her hand, looking over at Mei who was, as usual, sitting with perfect posture.

"Well, my time with Himeko was nice. It was good to get caught up and meet her future husband, and it was good to see mother and father together. The meal, although cut short was nice too. Best of all, we fixed our little problem and I've had a wonderful evening, so there really isn't much else I could ask for," Mei smiled over to Yuzu who was letting a sigh of relief out at hearing Mei's day hadn't been a total disaster.

"Good, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if you hadn't enjoyed today when it's so special."

"Ladies," A small plate with a recipe was placed down on the table and the man bowed and walked away. Mei immediately went to pick up the paper, but before she had time to read it Yuzu had plucked it from her grasp.

"Nuh huh, since you won't let me buy you a present I'm paying for this. It will make me feel less guilty for not being able to get you anything." Yuzu smiled, and it almost faltered when she saw the bill. This really would run her card dry. So very dry.

"Yuzu I can't let you do that, it is bound to be near the two hundred mark for how much you ordered. At least let me buy half or three quarters." Mei said as she reached for the bill, but Yuzu only swatted her hand away.

"Near yes, but not over."Giving a soft laugh at Mei's pouting face. Yuzu took her card out and placed it on the plate, but Mei quickly took it off. "Yuzu I'm serious, I don't want you wasting all this money." Mei was speaking in a slightly more assertive tone. As if that would change the blonde's mind.

"Mei put my card back." It wasn't hard or fiery, but Yuzu was serious, and Mei knew it. Reluctantly Mei placed the card back down on the plate, but in compromise took her own card out and placed it on top. Seeing they were done, the waiter returned to collect the plate along.

Both smiled at him as he did but just before he turned Yuzu spoke up. "Oh, actually can I look at that for a second?" Gesturing to the plate, the waiter turned instantly and lowered the plate to her head hight. Snatching Mei's card off the top Yuzu smiled.

"That's better, thank you." Smiling with a nod, the man walked away over to the till where he would take the bill from the blonde's card alone. When Yuzu returned her gaze to Mei she was met with a frightful glare. Handing the card across to the girl, Yuzu thought she saw her hand shaking, "Sorry Mei." Yuzu said as Mei took the card from her hand and stuffed it back inside her purse. Even if she was trembling under Mei's stare she still had the biggest grin on her face.

"Only your not sorry at all, you knew you were going to do that," Mei spat in a not so light-hearted tone as she eyed the blonde. "Yeah I know, but I said it was my gift to you and so I was going to pay for it either way. So no need to be grumpy about it, just smile and be happy," Yuzu said as she readied her purse to leave.

Returning the card alongside a recipe to the blonde, the two were wished farewell as they exited the restaurant and began the walk back to their mother's house. As soon as they left Yuzu took hold of Mei's hand and didn't let go until they were at the door of the apartment.

It was half ten by the time the two had gotten in and were both changed into their pyjamas again, relieved of their hoodies and trousers swapped out. Mei was sat in bed book in hand as she waited for Yuzu to come back, when she did it was a surprise to see the girl in only a tank top and her underwear.

"Why are you still not dressed yet? You have been in the bathroom for over ten minutes." Mei queried as she eyes the blonde, refraining from looking at her lower half. Yuzu only smiled as she made her way around to her side of the bed.

"I am changed, I was feeling a little hot so this is fine... Unless you want me to put something else on?" Yuzu said confidently, but then it occurred to her that she and Mei hadn't slept holding or even touching each other in a while and perhaps she would want the blonde to be dressed the first night they did.

Mei gave a shrug of her shoulders as her eyes went back to her book, scanning the contents of the page leaving Yuzu to her own devices on what she wanted to do. Slipping under the sheets the older of the two shuffled up to the younger.

"Hi," Yuzu whispered as she leaned closer. When she had Mei's attention, Yuzu raised her hand to the book and lightly pushed the pages closed. "Do you wanna put the book away?" Yuzu smiled as she layed a feather-like kiss to the pale exposed shoulder in front of her.

"I really don't feel like doing that tonight Yuzu," Mei said as she reopened her book, Yuzu frowned as she sat up. "I wasn't asking for _that_ Mei, I wasn't expecting to do that tonight I just want to cuddle. It's been ages since we got to cuddle and I missed it," Yuzu pouted as she waited for Mei to look at her, which she eventually did. Closing her book and placing it on the nightstand, Mei looked at Yuzu for several more seconds trying to decipher if her words were true or if she would try something when they got into bed.

Eventually, her fatigue gave through and Mei shuffled down under the covers, facing inwards on her side. Her wishes fulfilled, Yuzu dropped down in front of Mei facing her with a wide grin. "Thanks," Moving forwards, Yuzu waited until she was close enough so their noses were just about bumping, her hand slipped over onto the dip in Mei's waist and she smiled brighter.

"I missed you so much, and I missed this," Yuzu said as she slowly moved her hand up and down the length of Mei's side. Leaning in, she connected her lips to Mei's in a slow sweet kiss. Mei didn't reject the advance, but let her lips sink into the blonde's touch. She had missed this too, very much.

She felt she had become somewhat dependant on the blonde these days, she craved her touch every day, relied on her cuddles and sweet nothings at night to relieve any stress she may have had or just to feel content. A night without her felt sad and lonely for Mei now, and that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

When the kiss was broken, Yuzu left one more peck on her lips before settling down on the pillow. Mei moved back and switched the lamp off before she returned to the blonde's side. Their eyes adjusted to the dark but Mei felt like hers were closing anyway.

"I'm tired," Mei managed to say as she watched the green emeralds in the dark room. She saw the blonde smile before she got a kiss on the cheek, "Then let's go to sleep," Yuzu said as she stopped the rubbing of her partner's side, reduced it for faint tapping.

Turning in the embrace, Mei got comfortable and waited for the blonde to wrap her arms around her and hold her tight. And that she did, wrapping one arm under Mei's waist the other over it Yuzu snuggled up into Mei, her nose coming to rest at the nape of Mei's neck. Although some may have thought it strange, Yuzu cherished the smell of Mei, her warmth and her love.

"I love you." Whispering into the girl's ear, Yuzu closed her eyes and prepared for sleep to take over her but the feeling of Mei taking hold of her hand stopped her. Her hand was moved up and then she felt soft lips on the back of her fingers, then her palm and then her inner wrist.

"I love you too," Mei said quietly, her hand though moved down slightly, didn't let go of the blonde's hand. Yuzu didn't care for the slightly awkward position her arm was in, a smile was plastered on her face as she relayed several kisses to the back of Mei's head.

"Goodnight Mei," Snuggling up a final time both were consumed by their exhaustion and sleep soon washed over the pair.

* * *

"We're back," Ume said a little too loudly as she walked into the apartment, but to her surprise, it was silent and dark. Confused she walked, a little wonkily, down the hall to her girl's room. Knocking several times for good measure, Ume opened the door to find the room dark as well.

With the light from the hall illuminating the room, her eyes soon fell on the bed where she saw her two beautiful daughters cuddled up, holding the others hand and both had content smiles on their faces as they slept. Ume could only smile at what she saw, things had obviously gone well for the pair this evening and for that she was grateful.

"They're asleep," She said as she quietly closed the door, leaving the couple in their little bubble again.

* * *

 **Thank you all so much for reading and I hope you liked this chapter. I decided I wanted to die down the conflict and give a somewhat fluffy chapter, I really liked writing this chapter and I hope you guys like it too.**

 **I know some might be a little disappointed or think it was a little anti-climatic for Yuzu's dream reveal, but I had always planned it to be Mei in some way shape or form so sorry but I didn't want to create more conflict when we've had chapters worth of it. ;D[**

 **Anyways, thanks for reading and if you liked it please let me know, I love reading your comments. :)**


	34. Just About Laid

Sun trickled in through the window but that wasn't the only form of warmth Yuzu could feel. A warmness that she hadn't felt in a while was pressed up against her chest, no, her entire body. Upon realising the source of that warmth, Yuzu smiled brightly as she let her eyes open slightly revelling a few strands of silky black hair against the white of Mei's neck.

Flexing her stiff fingers, Yuzu again felt that warmth but it was a much more immediate source, it engulfed her hand. Shifting her fingers slightly Yuzu felt the hand that was intertwined with her own give a gentle squeeze before going still again.

Leaning forward Yuzu pressed a lingering kiss to the back of Mei's neck then pulled her entire form into Mei's. Effectively spooning her to the point that not even air would pass through the two bodies. A grin was plastered over Yuzu's face as she nuzzled into her girlfriends back, god how she had missed waking up like this. A cold bed was something she hated being awoken by, but this, this Yuzu could get used to.

"I love you, you know that. And I'm never going to stop loving you, not even for a second." Yuzu spoke in a little less than a whisper as she kept her grip on the youngers hand, her nose nuzzling lovingly into Mei's neck.

Unaware of the stir of the younger girl Yuzu continued. "Yup, I'm going to love you forever and ever, you're going to be my wife, cuz' I'm going to give you a beautiful ring that is just as amazing as you, and we'll be happier than anyone!" Yuzu's grin grew at the remembrance.

"We'll buy a pretty little house and we'll make it our home, and we can have some little babies too. They would be so cute with your beautiful face on them I just know they would. Let's hope they get more of your genes than mine so they can be little smarty pants like you are." Yuzu stopped when she felt Mei roll her shoulder backwards, and for a moment she thought she had been caught, but after a few seconds the girl stilled and Yuzu let out a shaky breath or relief.

"Yeah, that's the life we're going to have. But first I gotta work real hard so I can buy you a ring that'll take your breath away, but I don't mind cuz' I love you lots and lots." In the end, Yuzu gave Mei a tight squeeze her grip a little too tight as Mei gave a small cough.

Quickly releasing the grip, Yuzu returned to rubbing her nose against Mei's skin, her fingers and thumb working a soothing pattern along the back of Mei's hand.

Giving out a small humm as she continued her actions, Yuzu started picturing what their life would be like. Would they have children? If so how many? The number three popped into her mind and it stuck, it seemed like the perfect number. Three beautiful little munchkins of their own, to chase after and love. A comfortably sized house close to Tokyo so Mei could be near the school and their little babies could be near their grandparents.

Two little girls and a boy, or maybe all boys, perhaps all girls, but in the end, Yuzu shook her head, it didn't matter what they were she would love them regardless. She could picture the family happily and peacefully in her mind.

"Yup, a happy little family, that's what we're going to be Mei," Another kiss but this time Yuzu pulled up a little so she could just reach the edge of Mei's cheek.

"Is that so?"

Yuzu stumbled back as Mei's eyes opened when she kissed her cheek, letting go of her hand and jolting away from the girls face as if she had been committing a crime.

"M-M-Mei! I s-swear I wasn't doing anything!" Yuzu stuttered as she scratched the back of her head, a large blush on her face as she wondered just how much her girlfriend had heard.

Mei only turned in the bed to face the blonde, an amused yet satisfied smile on her face. "I know," Mei said as she waited for the blonde to lie back down.

"S-sorry for being weird and talking to you like that when you were asleep!" Yuzu stuttered anxiously as she lowered her head onto the pillow, taking note of the small smile Mei was giving off.

"It wasn't creepy Yuzu, from what I heard it sounded pretty nice," Mei spoke as she flexed her slightly cramped hand under the covers, while Yuzu only seemed to open her eyes wider in greater shock.

"H-how much did you hear?" Now fretting that Mei would know her plan of buying her an engagement ring, Yuzu waited anxiously for Mei's reply.

"Well, you were mumbling about having a sweet little home and having three children to run around after. Then you said we would be a happy little family," Mei smiled at the blonde, very much liking the picture she was creating.

"S-sorry I thought I was just saying that in my head, I didn't know I was actually still talking!" After getting over that she had been speaking aloud, Mei's words registered in her mind and a big grin grew on her face.

"You liked it? What you heard I mean?" Yuzu asked as she edged closer to Mei on the pillows, her face heating up at their proximity. Mei gave a slight nod,

"That is what I said." Mei gave a soft smile, "...How long have you been awake?" She continued when she saw no traces of slumber in the blonde's eyes.

"Just a little while, so you really wanna start a family with me and get our own house?" Yuzu asked, a smile evident on her face as she edged even closer to Mei.

"I do, and I believe we will one day. Though I can't guarantee we will have three, that does seem like a lot to handle. But I can say for sure that right now I very much like the idea of buying a house with you and starting a family together." Mei gave Yuzu a smile and didn't pull back when Yuzu leaned forward to give her an excited kiss. Her hand coming up to caress Mei's cheek as she showed her passion for the subject through their kiss.

"Hey Mei?..." Yuzu got a small nod as Mei's smile fell at the serious tone the blonde took. "...Last night, what you said at dinner with Mama and Papa... did you mean what you said about me wanting to have children with someone else? I-I know we are better now and what we're talking about is amazing, but was there even the tiniest bit of truth to it?" Yuzu asked nervously as she retracted her hand from Mei's cheek, it coming to lay between the two.

As much as this conversation had Yuzu on the edge of her seat in anticipation, what Mei had said last night obviously came from her images of Yuzu's dream, but surely they didn't just manifest from that alone?

"Yuzu..." Mei took the hand in her own, placing a kiss to the ring that was on the blonde's slim finger. "I know what I said hurt you, but I only said it because I was hurting and I thought you were fantasising about other people. Now I know that all it was was you getting a little... Kinky, I have no reason to believe that you would want a family with anyone one other than me. Besides, when I left the restaurant I even told myself what I said wasn't true, I didn't truly think that you wanted a family with anyone else I was just upset." Mei looked at Yuzu while she spoke, even when she gained a blush at her wording. Yuzu, too, had gotten a blush so big she thought her head might explode, did Mei really just use the word kinky?

"Sorry about that, I knew I shouldn't have put all the details in that," Yuzu said, accepting Mei's answer but gaining embarrassment at remembering what she had written the night before.

Bringing her hand up to the blonde's face, Mei pulled her down for a long, slow kiss. One that had both gasping for air by the end of it.

"You don't need to be sorry Yuzu, everyone has their quirks and I'm glad I know yours," Mei gave a smile to her girlfriend who was blushing furiously at what Mei was saying, and the abrupt intense kiss they had just finished.

Thinking she had to get the upper hand as the sly smile Mei was wearing was a little too cocky for the blonde, Yuzu shifted her weight as she raised onto her elbow as she loomed over Mei.

Raising her hand to Mei's arm, Yuzu traced her fingers over the length of Mei's arm, leaving a gentle tickling sensation as her fingers worked. "And what about you Mei?" Yuzu said as she moved her gaze from Mei's arm to the girls face, that was one of suspicion and curious fear. Yuzu no, don't do that. Mei's mind already knew where the blonde was going to take this from the look on her face, but it was too late to hide her 'quirks' as Yuzu's fingers were already at the base of her neck and working upwards.

"What other kinks do you have?" Her voice was low and husky as she leaned forward and placed a soft kiss to Mei's burning ear, her fingers following as they rimmed her outer ear.

"Hmmm?" Yuzu continued when she heard a moan rip from Mei's throat, Yuzu lifted her head back so she could look at Mei but her fingers remained.

"You know what I've been thinking about so how about you let me in on your little fantasies?" Yuzu said, her eyes glowing with excitement as she watched Mei shift her legs and her blush grow the longer her fingers continued their action. When she didn't answer Yuzu gave a pull on the rim of the ear and Mei's moan echoed throughout the room. Fearing that their parents would hear a not so quiet Mei, Yuzu removed her fingers.

"Y-Yuzu, stop this! Mnngh!" A loud satisfied groan left Mei's mouth as Yuzu gave all caution to the wind as she licked Mei's ear at her words. "You didn't answer me, Mei, what do you really want me to do to you?" Yuzu growled into her ear as she pulled back, her expression changing to one of pride as she watched Mei squeeze her eyes shut and hope that her moan wasn't too loud.

"Yu-zhu..." Mei was breathing heavily now and her breath was hot against Yuzu, who could only grin at her work.

"There is nothing I want, I already have you I don't need anything else," Mei said once she got her breath under control, though the blush never left her cheeks, in fact, it was growing down her neck.

Not prepared for Mei to say that Yuzu was stumped for words as she looked down to a panting Mei, who was meeting her gaze with love. At the blonde's extended silence, Mei continued. "I want you Yuzu, you make me feel all the pleasure in the world and more, although I can say that what you wrote did not disappoint me," Mei turned an even darker shade of red as she took a moment to glance away from Yuzu wishing it would take away some of her embarrassment.

"R-Really!" Yuzu gasped as she watched her cherry-red girlfriend turn darker by the second. Yuzu was sure that Mei wouldn't be into that type of thing but this new news was something she was going to make sure she protected with her life. After Mei nodded Yuzu lacked her shocked expression, it was swapped out for her sweet irresistible smile.

Leaning down from her hovering pose, Yuzu placed a soft kiss to Mei's trembling lips, "Sorry if I made you uncomfortable," Yuzu said as she pulled back from Mei, her hand being sure to stay on the side of Mei's neck and no higher.

"It's fine," Mei said as she turned to the blonde who had retired back to her pillow, her bold moment over. Once she was settled down Yuzu stuffed her pillow under her cheek so she could see Mei properly, a warmer yet seductive smile on her lips. "You really like that sort of thing?" Yuzu asked, her gaze burrowing holes into Mei's as she waited for her reply.

"I don't know if I like it yet we have never tried it, however, I am open to it," Mei answered, her cheeks that were only just starting to cool down when her words brought back her crimson appeal.

"Oh really?" Yuzu's eyebrows perked up at the suggestion, though Mei only smiled amused at the mixture of an offer and suggestiveness in her voice. Yet she still responded in her natural cool voice, but there was a hint of playfulness in it.

"Yuzu I wouldn't sleep with you back then when we lived under Mothers roof and the same still applies now. I won't sleep with you while we are here and besides that, Mother and Father are just down the hall so now is not the time or place to test out your fantasy." Mei said as she recalled their last few months together before they officially moved out, that was a tough time for her to keep her word and not sleep with Yuzu until they got their own place.

Both were late nineteen years old, sex deprived, horny as fuck teenagers and it seemed like anything remotely seductive the other did had them pouncing on the other. It wasn't like Mei didn't want Yuzu because she had wanted her for years, but she had made a statement to the blonde that they wouldn't rush anything and would only sleep together when they got their own house. For Mei sleeping with the blonde while their mother was home was a no-go from the start, but even just doing it in the woman's house she didn't really like.

That, and the fact she couldn't go back on her word or Yuzu would be too proud of herself for making her do it.

"Hey! I remember once I got you so close you almost forgot to stop, you didn't seem to mind too much that night," Yuzu said proudly as she recalled a weekend her mother had left for a business trip and had left Mei in charge while she was gone. And although Yuzu didn't really like it, Mei never really pulled any authoritative crap and they had a pretty good weekend alone. Least to say Yuzu almost managed to get some.

"I remember," Mei said with a smile, she remembered that weekend like it was yesterday, and had it not been her stubborn pride that refused to wave her word she believed they both would have lost something that night.

One and a half years ago

"When are you gonna be back Mama?" Yuzu asked as she waited by the door with her mother. "I'll be home Monday afternoon, so make sure you and Mei eat properly while I'm gone and don't burn the house down." Ume grinned to her daughter and only laughed when she gave an offended scoff.

"Yeah, we won't, by the way, as the older of the two of us am I in charge while you're away?" Yuzu pried as she hoped her mother would agree with her, but Ume only laughed again and greeted Mei who was also coming to wish the woman fare well.

"Have a safe trip Mother," Mei smiled and looked between the mother and daughter, "Thank you, Mei, as for your question Yuzu: I'm leaving Mei in charge while I'm away, I don't want any complaints or back chat, you live under my roof so my rules. Crap I gotta go, right I'll see you two in a couple of days," Ume rushed her final sentence as she glanced to the clock.

Giving both girls a kiss on the cheek and a brief hug goodbye, Ume left with her small suitcase leaving the two standing at the door.

"Hmmph this is so unfair, how come you get left in charge when I'm older than you!?" Yuzu growled as she stomped her feet in dissatisfaction. Mei, however, remained neutral, her tone not wavering as she addressed the blonde.

"Well out of the two of us I would say I am the more responsible one, not to mention my spending habits are none existent in compared to yours, hence why mother left it to me while she was away," Mei said but she saw the hurt look on the blonde's face and began to panic as to how she could make it right. "But, don't worry I won't order you around or anything. It will be just like normal, I promise," Mei said as she managed to make the blonde smile at her with the words.

"So what do you wanna do?" Yuzu asked as she watched Mei begin to retreat down the hall. "We have to get ready for school, just because Mother is away doesn't mean we don't go to school," Mei said as she continued her way down the hall, not pausing when she heard the whining blonde behind her.

"Yeah, yeah I know." Yuzu said as she slumped her way down behind Mei, but her mood greatly increased when it occurred to her that they had a weekend alone. Together. With no one to interrupt them. "Hey Mei?!" Yuzu ran into the bedroom after her dark-haired lover and jumped in front of her.

"What?" Mei said, not enjoying being cut off when they were running low on time. "Don't you think you that since we're alone this weekend we could do something fun?" Yuzu said, a tinge of a blush on her cheeks as she looked up to her stoic girlfriend. "What would you propose?" Not thinking they would get this far in the conversation with Mei being open to the idea, Yuzu was a little stumped for words.

"Can you please start getting ready? We can talk about this on the way to school," Mei said, brushing past the blonde to get dressed.

"Uhh, yeah sure," Yuzu mumbled as she made her way to her wardrobe while trying to think of a way they could have fun this weekend. Though nothing seemed to spring to mind; what could they do that would be fun for both of them and possibly spice things up a little bit more?

"Yuzu, get ready please, I'm not going to be late because of your inability to get dressed," Mei scolded as she made her way to pick up her bag and headed for the door. "Hey! I'm only gonna be two minutes," Yuzu said as she stumbled to quickly put her skirt and shirt on.

After a quick change and a slow morning routine, Yuzu was walking down the road side by side with Mei. "Where's Himeko?" Yuzu asked as she looked around the crossing where they usually met the drill-haired girl, but as unusual as it was for her not to be here Yuzu wasn't surprised when Mei gave an answer.

"We are ten minutes later than normal, she probably didn't want to be late and went on ahead," Mei said and with a final sweeping glance of the road, began to cross leaving the blonde still searching for any sign of the short girl.

"MEI-MEI!" Yuzu spun around at the declaration and Mei did too, they were both shocked to see the spoken of running towards them school bag in hand. When she finally got to them she paned her apology.

"Sorry to make you wait, I was running behind schedule this morning and so I'm late," Bowing fiercely, Himeko wished her dear friend hadn't been waiting too long for her to arrive.

"It's no problem, Yuzu and I were running late ourselves. Let's go," With that said Mei continued her walk to the other side of the road, her partner and friend quickly following after her as she didn't stop for a catch-up.

As the best friend made conversation with the president, Yuzu's mind was still swirling with the idea of what she thought she could do to get Mei's attention this weekend and make her break her rule.

Being brought out of thought as she heard the voice of her own best friend. "Yuzucchi! Why are you so late? I've been waiting out here is this crapy weather for ages!" Shouted the girl as she impatiently tapped her foot against the pavement, Yuzu quickly tried to distinguish her friend's anger as she ran up to her.

"Sorry we're late, Mama was leaving this morning so we started getting ready a little later than normal," A fraction of a bow to her friend and a scratch of her head later, Yuzu was in small chit chat with her friend as they all made their way to school.

Getting there before the bell rang, all four made their way to class and took their respective seats. With Mei paying little to no attention to the blonde as she said goodbye. Slumping down in her seat, Yuzu watched the back of Mei's head intently as she tried to think of something for this weekend, but when she had mentioned it Mei hadn't seemed all that interested. She hadn't spoken to her about it on the way to school and didn't linger in conversation when they went to their allocated seats in the classroom.

This wasn't unusual for Mei, she often ignored Yuzu while at school but was she doing it more so than normal today because she didn't want anything to happen on the weekend?

"What's up, you look all depressed?" Harumi said as she leaned over her chair onto the blonde's desk, not missing where her gaze was fixed.

"It's Mei, well not really, but Mama is going to be gone for the whole weekend and I thought we could ya know... do something but she doesn't seem interested at all." Her cheeks tinted pink as she spoke, Yuzu hoped her friend would pitch her some advice.

It wasn't uncommon for the two to discuss their drama or sex lives -not that either of the two had even done it yet- they frequently kept the other updated on their activity, and so Yuzu wasn't afraid to come to the girl with this.

"Hmm, so you wanna get laid and she's not giving you any?" Harumi said in a raised voice before l she cackled at the blonde's cherry red face that turned from a light blush to a ripe tomato in a matter of milliseconds, as many of the students in the room turned to look at the pair. Mei being one of them. Yuzu watched in mortification as Mei raised her eyebrow in a questioning manner, but she had to look away as the stares of their peers loomed over her.

"Harumin be quiet!" After getting over the stares Yuzu managed to scold her friend who was just quieting down.

"Okay, okay I'm sorry. Now about your little problem, have you actually had a proper conversation with her about it or just a stuttering mess of one?" Yuzu grumbled a yes to the latter option and started flicking her pencil off her desk.

"Well, why don't you make it seem more natural then? Plan something that she can't get out of and then bring her back home and bam!" Her story was finished by smacking her fists together for emphasis on how the night would end.

"I can't do that. She said she has studying to do this weekend cuz our finals are coming up soon, she probably won't even let me go out cuz she's in charge while Mama's gone," Grumbling again and shooting down the brunettes idea, Yuzu let out a defeated sigh.

"Alright then, what about just doing something at home? Make her dinner, be all romantic or something, that's bound to get her in the mood." Giving a wink, Harumi rested her head in her palm as she readied herself for the rest of the conversation before class started.

"Maybe, but I doubt she'd go for it. She said she doesn't want to do that until we get our own place, but that's gonna be months away and I know she wants it too. I mean she comes on to me all the time but then just stops and leaves. It's sooo frustrating, we've been going out for ages and she's just being so stubborn because of what she said a year ago." Yuzu wallowed in her self-pity while a grin grew on Harumi's face.

"Well, why don't we make it so she wants to do that and can't stop herself?" There was a mischievous glint to the girl's voice and Yuzu perked up at hearing it. "What do you mean?" Giving the girl a curious look, Yuzu waited for her grinning friend to continue.

"What I mean is, you said Mei's a bit of a lightweight right?"Yuzu nodded as she recalled one of the few times she had seen Mei with alcohol, "Then how about we make a little get together and have a small party? Just like close friends and we can say it's a study session but crack open a few bottles and you can put the moves on Mei?" Harumi was grinning like a Cheshire cat by this point, finding her dubious plan wonderfully amusing.

"Hey, that could work! When should we do it?" Yuzu's head jumped from the desk as she liked the idea, but then it faltered, "But wait, isn't that like, taking advantage of her?" Yuzu asked her smile dropping in concern that it might not be faithful. Harumi only waved her off, "Of course not, you just need to get her tipsy. You said yourself that she wants to get at you as much as you do her, so she just needs a bit of oil to get all the clocks turning right." A wink later and Yuzu's confidence was restored but before she could reply a stern voice filled the room.

"Alright everyone, take your seats and quieten down!" Rattling his knuckles over the hard desk, the teacher waited for his instructions to be followed his eyes pinning anyone who didn't make an immediate attempt to stop whatever they were doing.

Harumi was back at her desk in an instant while Yuzu's gaze landed on Mei who turned back to take a stealing glance at the blonde. Yuzu's blush was met with even more curiosity than before, but Mei was quick to turn away when she heard the teacher clear his throat ready to start the lesson.

The lesson was a daze for Yuzu, thinking about tonight seemed much more interesting than the poem on the board. "Yuzucchi! C'mon we gotta get there before all the good stuff's gone!" Yuzu looked up from the window to her friend who was rapidly tapping her desk and trying to get her to hurry up and pack her things.

"Oh ehh right, I was gonna talk to Mei just now about tonight. You can do tonight right?" Yuzu questioned as she looked up to an antsy Harumi.

"Yeah tonights fine, I'm gonna just meet you down there but try and not be too long I don't want to be sitting for too long alone with Matsuri. I can't be bothered with her attitude today," The girl complained with a sigh, however, Yuzu was quick to interject.

"You know, she is only that annoying cuz she likes you, right? She isn't normally like that I think it's just cuz she like likes you," Yuzu said with a smirk as she watched Harumi brush her off with no thought.

"Haha right, all that girl wants is a few one-night stands and that's it. I swear she has the sex drive of a dozen normal teenagers." Grabbing her bag, Harumi turned, "Right I'm heading down, don't be too long please," And with that, the girl walked towards the door and disappeared into the mass of students that now lined the school halls. Leaving Yuzu to scour over the classroom that was holding fewer and fewer girls by the second. When she spotted the one she wanted to speak with she impulsively let out a shout.

"MEI?!" Yuzu's raised voice caught the attention of many, all watching the mess of a student with scowling stares. "Emm, President could I speak with you for a minute?" Yuzu stuttered her more formal request as she waited for Mei's reply, and she half expected her to just continue her walk out of the room but she didn't. Yuzu watched as Mei gave a sigh before saying something inaudible to her ears to her second in command who gave a grumble but continued on without her superior.

"What is it Yuzu, you and Harumi have had enough outbursts today?" Mei asked as she walked towards the rowdy blonde, really looking like it was more of a chore for her than a luxury.

"S-sorry Mei," Yuzu brushed the back of her neck as she wished Mei would lose the irritated look on her face at being called out in such a way.

"I wanted to ask if you would, emm possibly, maybe wanna have a study group tonight?" Yuzu asked, trying to postpone the actual request by fitting in as many words as she could, not that it made any difference apart from making her look nervous as hell.

Yuzu watched as Mei lowered herself to sit on the side of a desk opposite the blonde, raising her brow and prompting the blonde mess to explain herself.

"Well... you see me and Harumin were talking and since finals are coming up she thought a good study session would do us all some good." Yuzu said, not very confidently though.

"Why don't you just study on your own, as it seems that going off your conversation this morning you have ulterior motives?" Mei said, not falling into the trap that the blonde was trying to set. "W-what?! No of course not! She was just messing about when she said that." Yuzu stuttered again, hoping to steer the conversation away from that point.

"I just think it will be a good change, you can invite whoever you want!" Yuzu said as she tried to appeal to her girlfriend more and more, and it seemed she was doing to as she sat in silence for a moment. "Fine, but if I suspect you aren't even trying to study then I will ask everyone to leave, you said yourself that we have finals in just over a month. Also, I've asked you many times but please stop addressing me so casually whilst we're in school, there are enough rumours going about without you attracting any more attention to us." Mei said as she picked up her bag again and headed for the door, thought Yuzu was quick to cram all her stuff into her bag and follow after her.

"I'm sorry Mei, I am, it's just confusing sometimes and I forget. I mean you can't just make out with me one minute and ignore me the next right?" Yuzu said, but clearly, it was wrong as Mei stopped dead in her tracks and turned back to her.

"Yuzu, if I hear those words leave your mouth when we are in a crowded corridor again so help me god. I asked you to stop that to keep gossiping to a minimum, if you would rather I just ignore you completely I suggest you keep quiet." Mei gave a slight glare to the blonde and without another word made her way down the hall away from the blonde.

Slumping down into the lunch table, Yuzu groaned in frustration catching the attention of all present. "I take it that means she said no?" Harumi asked as she watched Yuzu slowly pick her head off the table.

"No, she said fine so long as we don't have any ulterior motives, but then I said something stupid and now she's angry at me." Yuzu sulked as she explained to the occupants of the table, most of which paid the blonde's suffering little attention.

"Hey if you wanna fuck her just fuck her, what's with all the piss-farting around?" Matsuri scoffed as she watched the blonde, not seeing why she was being so tentative about the whole thing.

"Wellll, Matsuri, sleeping together for the first time isn't something you just force on someone like that. It has to be special and she has to want to do it with me," Yuzu snarled back at the youngers comment. "What?! Does Mei not what to smash you?" Again the smirk grew on the younger girls face and Yuzu only rolled her eyes.

"So who's all coming tonight? I Think Mei will probably drag along Hemiko which might be a problem but we can deal with that later." Harumi asked as she looked around the table. Matsuri instantly volunteered herself and Nene gave a reluctant nod. Even if she knew Yuzu and the president were dating she still had hope for the ultimate power couple of HaruYuzu. Not that both of those girls hadn't told her otherwise many times.

"Okay, well I'll see you all at about six tonight then? Hopefully, Mei will be in a better mood by then." Yuzu shrugged as she pulled her lunch from her bag and began eating, her mood slowly changing into a happier one as she enjoyed small talk with her friends.

Okay, Yuzuzcchi I'll see you later, tell the prez I said 'Hi and not to be in too bad a mood when we come over.'" YUuzu waved goodbye to her friend who was walking away with Matsuri and Nene, normally Yuzu would be part of that group but today she was waiting for Mei. It was normal for Mei to leave slightly later than most students, some days not even coming home until the evening but today Yuzu made it her mission to get the girl home.

Tonight shit was going down and for that to happen Mei had to be home relaxing, not at school working her ass off.

Making her way to the office, Yuzu knocked one for appearance then walked in, greeting the three members she found there. "Hey, Himeko, Kayo-san, Mei. Umm I wanted to go home with you today if you don't mind," Yuzu greeted them all generally but her second sentence was projected only at Mei.

"Aihara, don't you know how to wait for a reply before you come barging into a room?" Himeko snapped as she walked over to Yuzu and pointed to the door. Yuzu's brow twisted in frustration, why even when she was trying to be polite did this girl have to pick fault with her.

"Mei's in here so I should be allowed in here too, besides it's not like she's complaining and she is the boss of you so it doesn't matter." Yuzu snied, her tongue sticking out as she played the girlfriend card on the best friend. Himeko was quicker than ever to retort, feeling pure anger at trying to be outranked by the delinquent, but both were silenced by Mei.

"Enough, both of you. Yuzu what do you need?" Mei said, and Himeko didn't fail to notice how Mei completely bypassed the girls brash actions. Mei always turned a blind eye to the blonde's unruly actions and right now was just another to add to the list, had any other student came into this office without invite or permission Himeko could guarantee Mei would hand out some sort of punishment.

Humphing to herself, Himeko made her way back to Kayo who was watching the little scene unfold.

"Ohh I eh wanted you to finish early so we could walk home together and get something to eat before people start to arrive," Yuzu said wearily as she scratched the back of her head at the needy request. Mei gave a sigh before picking up her bag and after stuffing a few papers inside turned to the two girls watching her.

"Yuzu has decided to plan a study group this evening, you are both welcome to attend," Mei said as she watched Himeko's mouth drop while her more subtle member bowed politely to both sisters. "Thank you, however, I'm afraid I'm unable to attend tonight," Going back to her work, Kayo paid the conversation little more attention.

"If Mei-Mei is going to be there then so will I!" Himeko shouted as she stood strong, failing to let the blonde completely have her way with Mei. Yuzu didn't study a lot -to Himeko's knowledge- and when she did it wasn't with hundreds of distractions. Something didn't feel right about the smile on the blonde's face and Himeko refused to let anything happen tonight. She would protect Mei-Mei with her life.

Mei gave a nod. "Okay, let's go Yuzu," Mei said as she began walking to the door, Yuzu at her heel. "See you!" Yuzu shouted back into the room. Walking down the hall Yuzu kept close to Mei.

"Thanks for sticking up for me, she was getting at nothing," Yuzu said as she opened the door for her girlfriend, while Mei only sighed. "You know I only did that so I wouldn't be in your bad books for the weekend? Himeko was right, you should wait like everyone else when entering a room whether I'm in it or not," Mei frowned as she once again had let the blonde off and gone against the fair school policies. Because she wasn't fair, at least not when it came to the blonde.

"Hmph, fine." Yuzu grumbled a response as the cool breeze hit them. After a few minutes of silent walking Yuzu spoke up again, her voice much sweeter than before.

"I'm sorry about what I said earlier, I know you are just being cautious and I should be more careful," Yuzu said, her head bowing in apology. She watched her feet as she waited for Mei to speak but she only got a little reply. "It's fine,"

Maybe she's still upset with me? Yuzu thought. Sure her and Mei had grown significantly since they started dating for the second time over a half a year ago, but she still sometimes found it hard to see what the other girl was really thinking. She was quiet when she was happy and when she was mad or sad.

"Are you upset with me? If you are I can just cancel this thing tonight and you can study by yourself if you would prefer it?" Yuzu asked, now feeling slightly guilty at thinking maybe her abrupt get together might have caused Mei's mood, that or the girl still suspected Yuzu had ulterior motives.

"I'm not mad Yuzu, you don't have to cancel anything I'm happy you are trying new methods of studying," Mei said, a quick look at the blonde to show her sincerity. Yuzu gave a grateful nod and smiled, feeling much more relaxed at Mei's words. But the small twang of guilt still rested in her heart. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, Yuzu wanted their first time to be great and romantic but this didn't exactly feel like that. Mei thought she was trying to get studying down and here Yuzu was thinking of the possible ways they were going to have sex tonight.

Grrr, why was this such a hard decision for her? But soon they were on and off the train and walking through the front door to the apartment. It was already past four, Yuzu had to get started on dinner before everyone else got here, she didn't have time to think about all the other plans in her head right now.

"Do you have anything specific you want for dinner tonight?" Yuzu asked as she slumped her bag down onto the chair in the living room before making her way to the kitchen.

"No, whatever you want is fine. Just make sure and be quick, I don't want there to be any mess when our friends come over," Mei said as she picked up the blonde's bag and took it through to the room with her own.

And so 'Whatever' is what Yuzu made: A simplistic rice dish, that would be a substantial meal that made little mess and could be made quickly. The two had eaten and cleaned up by five and Yuzu and her stepsister were currently setting up the living room for the guests. Setting chairs and cushions around the small coffee table, Yuzu even set out a few snacks.

"Are you going to stare at me all night?" Mei asked from the kitchen table as she looked back to Yuzu who had unconsciously been staring at her for the past few minutes. Frantically waving her hands in front of her as her cheeks turned red Yuzu stuttered a reply as she turned to the couch. Why was tonight weighing so much on her mind?

The hour passed this was and soon Yuzu was jumping off the couch to the door where she was met with all three of her friends. Matsuri was holding a grocery bag in her hand as pulled the bottle out to show Yuzu the few bottles of alcohol it contained.

"I brought you some courage," Winking Matsuri walked herself into the apartment. "Where did she even get that?" Yuzu asked as she looked to the two standing at the door, Harumi shrugged as she answered,

"She said she asked her dad for some cuz she was going out with her friends, he said 'no' but she guilted him into doing it, saying that she was lonely and just wanted to have some fun." Rolling her eyes at the manipulative girl's story Harumi walked in after Nene who was nervously walking into the house.

"Ahhh I can't believe I'm in Yuzu's house!"The younger girl screeched as she looked at the room, but her face reddened terribly when Matsuri slung her arm around the girl's shoulders and pointed to Mei then the wall they were leaning against.

"Yup the very one, this is even the wall Yuzu got fingered by Mei on," A dubious grin covered her face when the not so innocent girl couldn't even stutter a reply she was so shocked. Her cheeks cherry red but she was always rooting for Harumi, this wasn't something that should have put her in such a state.

"Do not believe a word she tells you. I hope you are planning on actually studying tonight and not just here to wind your peers and upperclassmen up." Mei scolded as she got from her chair to chastise the younger girls, not impressed with how this was starting. Though even at Mei's dismissal the youngest girl couldn't drag her eyes away from the wall, seasons worths of images and scenes playing in her mind.

"Of course not, I'm going to study but I brought along some beverages to help," Jangling the bag in the air, Matsuri grinned when she saw Mei's scowl narrow again, "Why do you have to be like this?" Sighing, Mei nipped the bridge of her nose as she debated whether to even reprimand the action as she knew it would have no effect on her actions.

"Because," Was the answer she got, looking away from the two first years, Mei looked over to the two best friends who were having a hush-hush conversation with one another in the entryway.

"What are you two doing?" Mei asked, her voice only slightly raised, this already felt like it was going to be an exceedingly long night and they had only been here for three minutes.

"EHH NOTHING!" Yuzu shouted from the hall as she and Harumi walking into the house, the former had a distinguishable blush on her cheeks. Not daring to ask Mei only walked to the living room in preparation for the night of hell to come.

Before the rest could follow the door went again and this time Yuzu opened it to reveal Himeko in... Normal clothes?

"What are you wearing?" Yuzu almost laughed but managed to disguise it within a cough. "What do you mean 'what am I wearing?', I've dressed appropriately for a study session, a dress that I would normally wear out would be slightly too uncomfortable and inconvenient for this. Now, are you going to invite me in or not?" The small woman barked at the blonde who only managed a nod before stepping aside and letting the shorter inside.

"Good evening Himeko," Mei said as relief washed over her that someone serious had joined them.

All six were soon sitting around the small coffee table with Mei and Yuzu on the larger couch, while Himeko took one of the armchairs and the rest had convened around the table on the floor. Mei suspected for conversation more than anything else.

A little over an hour had passed and even if the members of the student council were still studying the other present were not.

"Well I say its about time we crack open some of the fizzy stuff!" Matsuri exclaimed as she jumped to her feet. She got a nod from Harumi, a nervous glance to Mei from the blonde and a shake of the head from Himeko.

"We are underage, drinking is against the law!" However, even at her belief that it was wrong, Mei put her hand up to silence her friend.

"There's really no point in even trying to stop her Himeko, they are going to drink no matter what we say so just ignore them... Yuzu?" Mei after calming her friend, turned to her girlfriend to see what her verdict was, as well as her plans.

A nervous look to Matsuri who was walking back with her bag and several glasses, Yuzu gave a wavering smile. "Emm maybe just one?" Coughing to hide her embarrassment of needing Mei's approval, Yuzu waited for her reply.

"Fine, however, I am responsible for you this weekend so please be considerate of that." With that Mei turned back to her book, completely bypassing the complaints of the shorter girl.

Soon four of six had a glass of wine, which Yuzu thought tasted more like a juice than anything else. One that Nene seemed to be drinking like a fruit shoot.

"Hey don't you think you should slow down a little?" Harumi asked as she watched the small girl drain the glass, her cheeks already slightly rosy.

Though the comment went unnoticed by the girl as Matsuri was quick to refill and continue the conversation.

"Her Yuzu, nows the time. Offer her a taste and then pore her a glass." Nudging the blonde's leg, Harumi pointed to Mei who was scanning through pages of her book. A firm nod from Yuzu and she leaned over and tapped Mei on the shoulder.

"Hey, Mei do you maybe wanna try this? It tastes really nice, I think you will like it." Offering the glass to her sister who was eying her, "I think I'll pass, this is supposed to be a study group and not a lot is going to get done if we are all intoxicated." Mei said, refusing the wine glass.

"Oh come on, one glass isn't going to make you drunk c'mon just a taste?" Giving her best puppy dog eyes, Yuzu batted her eyelids and hoped Mei would give in. She did.

With a sigh, Mei took the glass from the blushing blonde and took a small sip.

Slightly surprised by the fruity, fuzziness Mei took another small sip.

"It's not bad," Taking a final sip before offering the glass back to Yuzu, Mei questioned if she should just have one. Though the decision was made once again as Matsuri already had one full and reached out to her.

After a moment's hesitation, probably influenced by the blonde that was staring hopefully at her, Mei took the glass and thanked the girl for it.

"Mei-Mei?" Hemiko exclaimed in utter disbelief. Infuriated that Mei had once again picked the blonde over her Himeko ordered a glass of her own, surprised by the flavour as well and found it hard to believe something so fruity without any bitterness could be wine.

"One glass is fine Himeko, but you should be careful you know you don't have a high alcohol tolerance," Mei said, worried her friend would try and match everyone else when she knew her tolerance levels were shockingly low, even for a girl of her physique.

After another nudge to the knee from a grinning Harumi, Yuzu shuffled closer to Mei, their shoulders now rubbing against one another.

A look from Mei told Yuzu that she was being watched and questioned by her girlfriend at her unusually close proximity.

Yuzu didn't move from her position, instead moved her spare hand from her thigh onto the side of Mei's. Hidden from the view of their friends, Yuzu risked gently rubbing her hand over Mei's leg.

Mei waited a few moments for Yuzu to stop her actions, and when she continued even when she gave her several more glances she moved herself.

"Do you need to be so close?" Mei asked and she crossed her legs away from Yuzu, the action removing the blonde's hand from her legs.

Blushing furiously at the comment Yuzu scrambled together an excuse, not wanting to be found out by Himeko or Mei. Well the later probably already knew something was going on, but Yuzu didn't want things getting complicated because of Himeko's overprotective tendencies.

"I-I was just looking at your textbook," Stuttering as she leaned an arm over and scraped her finger over the pages of the book, not having a clue what Mei was actually reading.

An 'mmhhmn' came from Mei but she remained with her legs crossed and in view of the others. She has a sneaking suspicion that her girlfriend was being a little too friendly tonight. She knew the rules and they applied whether their mother was home or not, and especially when their friends were here with them. Yuzu was being a little too bold tonight and sly touching of the legs and rubbing of the back was not something Mei failed to notice.

The evening was going as planned so far the blonde. They were all drinking even if she was watching her own consumption along with Mei's, Yuzu was more than happy to let the others get wasted so she could sneak away with a special someone. Nene was already seeing start as she lay nearly perched up against the stump of the coffee table, only three glasses in along with Himeko who was although more presentable totally out of it. If she stood from the chair Yuzu was sure she would get no further than a few steps at best.

Matsuri and Harumi were engrossed in casual conversation with one another. The pair had moved away from Nene and were sharing the armchair, very much brushing thighs and bumping shoulders. This Yuzu had expected from Matsuri, she was very aware that the girl had some sort of feelings for her best friend but what shocked her was that Harumi, who had shown no previous interest in the girl in such ways, was reacting normally to the advances and Yuzu thought she even saw her responding to them by making similar advances to the pinkette.

Dragging her eyes over to Mei who was still trying to read and study, Yuzu swivelled her eyes to the glass on the table. The empty glass on the table. Then to the stack of bottles on the floor, counting three glasses per bottle Yuzu tried to add up how many each of the girls had had. But with everyone doing different things that evening Yuzu lost track, turning to Matsuri Yuzu moved over to her.

"How many glasses did you give Mei?" Yuzu whispered. Matsuri had been the makeshift bartender throughout the night, making sure that no one was ever left with a dry glass, meaning she would be the only one to know how much Mei had actually drunk.

"Emmmmm, four maybe five. Why? You gonna make your move now?" A devilish grin made it's way onto her face as she waited for the blonde to reply, though she got one from Harumi instead.

"If that's the case then our job here is done, I'll text my sister to come and pick us all up and give you two some privacy." Even while she was saying this the auburn-haired girl already had her phone out and was finished typing the message by the time she had finished talking. She had a swift reply that made Yuzu think the girl had planned this getaway car before they had even arrived.

"Yuzu, come here." Mei's voice came from the other side of the room as she lazily slogged her textbook onto the side of the chair, her hand gesturing to the space beside her.

It was gaining ten when Yuzu actually stopped and looked at Mei's glass, she hadn't even noticed it being refilled or that Mei was drunk. It was very obvious that she was drunk to Yuzu, and probably anyone else in the room that was still coherent enough to know what the word meant, only now she had the problem of Mei being too drunk.

Sure if she was just a little tipsy but still had her wits about her that would have been fine, but this wasn't that. Any decisions Mei made tonight Yuzu couldn't hold her too, she wasn't herself and that was showing from the way she was purring into the blonde's ear at the minute. If Yuzu slept with Mei tonight, it wouldn't be one hundred per cent consensual and without using the word, she knew what that was, and refused for it to happen.

After sitting down next to her intoxicated girlfriend, Yuzu tried to keep herself from falling into her own trap but Mei was making it a little hard. She had made up for the space between the two that Yuzu had tried to leave, and taking the blonde's lead from earlier, began rubbing her upper leg. The sensation sending tingles through Yuzu's body, residing in her lower abdomen.

Her lips brushing the outer of Yuzu's ear, Mei spoke, "I have a confession to make: I've wanted to do this with you for so long and I don't think I can hold myself back tonight," The words hit Yuzu like a thousand-ton bus. Did she really just say that? Fuck that feel good, Yuzu thought as Mei's hand slipped behind her neck and began lightly massaging it as her lips made contact with the blonde's burning hot neck.

Though Yuzu was saved as the doorbell went, bringing her out of her daze and made her jump from the couch and rush to the door. Abruptly leaving Mei and disappointing her all the same. Opening she found a not so impressed Mizuki, frowning at the blonde and the fresh saliva covered hickey on her neck.

"Aihara, I'm here to pick up the other girls and take them home." Realising what her senior was looking at Yuzu slapped a hand to her nack and with bright red cheeks invited the woman into the house to get the other girls ready to leave.

"Ehh yes, please come in. Harumin your sisters her!" Yuzu bellowed into the house as she walked back in, suddenly wishing she had drunk more and didn't look like the sober responsible one.

Harumi was at the door swiftly with Masuri not far behind her, and soon both of the past walking girls were down in the car and Yuzu was saying her last goodbyes before closing the door behind them and making her way over to the couch, which Mei had still to remover herself from.

As soon as she was sitting down on the couch Mei was already on top of Yuzu, pushing her back into the armrest as she straddled her thighs. Yuzu was painfully aware of Mei watching her walk over to the couch and was only half surprised when she was lunged on and taken in a deep kiss. One that had her cheeks pink and her face flushed, but one she accepted all the same. It wasn't too often she found herself pinned under her girlfriend, loving the way she was grinding her pelvis against her thighs.

The kiss was hot, Mei took all control as she delved her tongue deep into her partner's mouth, desperate to feel and taste her tonight. But everything had to stop, they had to breathe, Mei seemed to forget this and as soon as the kiss was broken latched onto the blonde's neck.

Moan after moan was ripped from Yuzu as she lived for this feeling, the feeling of Mei up against her, but then she did something that reminded Yuzu this wasn't right:

Pulling back from the blonde, Mei pried her shirt over her head before claiming Yuzu's fresh lips again, her hand trailing under the plain shirt to find a perky bra-covered breast that she took in her grasp.

Breaking the kiss as fast as it was initiated, Yuzu pulled Mei's hand from her chest and moved her back off her legs, all the while keeping her eyes away from two bouncing mounds in front of her face. Those two very tempting mounds that she wanted to feel inside her mouth, roll along her teeth, squeeze between her fingers.

No.

"M-Mei I think we should just go to sleep tonight." Yuzu stuttered as she managed to get from the couch and after taking Mei's hand and arm managed to lead her through to the bedroom, giving time for stumbling and stuttering for the girl's drunkenness.

Upon entering Yuzu felt a hand snake around her waist and pull her backwards. Lips were felt pressed against the back of her neck and she almost gave in to the burning desire in between her legs. Mei's almost naked chest was rubbing against Yuzu's back as her lover's torso moved against her. The feeling of having Mei's body grinding against her from behind had Yuzu almost pushing her ass back into Mei's pelvis, but a stronger sense of righteousness kept her from doing so.

"Mei no! Go to bed, now, I mean it I don't want to do that with you," Yuzu said in a rushed attempt to get Mei off her, and it worked as she instantly let go and Yuzu realised what she had said. Turning around so she could face the girl, Yuzu took in a sharp breath as she watched a tear roll down the girl's cheek. It was quickly wiped away and replaced with a cold stoic expression.

"Fine, I don't care I didn't want to do it with someone like you either." The cold remark earned Yuzu a knife to the heart while Mei stormed past her and stuffed herself under the covers.

Having only seen Mei drunk less than a few times, Yuzu wasn't sure how best to deal with the girl. So instead of reacting and making the situation worse, Yuzu left the room and set up a blanket on the couch. Hoping that keeping away from the girl was the best solution. Flicking off all the lights, and setting the used wine glasses and bottles in the kitchen, Yuzu slumped herself onto the couch and cursed herself for letting the evening turn this way.

She should have been getting layed for the first time right now not sitting here wishing she had watched Mei's consumption a little better. That was this weekend ruined and if she was lucky maybe Mei wouldn't remember the harsh words she had just spoken when she got up the next morning.

She awoke the next morning to a light shaking of her shoulder and the quiet voice that was straining to say her name. Blinking a few times, Yuzu opened her eyes and upon seeing Mei's drowsy face remembered why she was in the living room again. Sitting up she popped her stiff back a few times before looking to Mei who looked confused as ever, not to mention hungover.

"Why are you sleeping on the couch and how much did you let me drink last night, my head is splitting?" Mei asked the questions simultaneously as she queried as to why her girlfriend had been put in the dog house and she couldn't remember why?

"M-Mei?" Yuzu asked, she cleared the sleep from her eyes, as she swivelled her legs out from under the blanket and stood to match Mei's hight.

"Why are you sleeping on the couch?" Mei asked, her voice a little more serious as she asked again, looking for an answer from the still half asleep blonde.

"Ohh ehh, you got a little too drunk last night and you were... coming on to me quite seriously... I didn't want to take advantage of you and do it cuz you couldn't exactly say 'yes', so I said something to get you to stop and you got mad. So I decided just to sleep on the couch and let you be..." Yuzu said drowsily as she wiped the last of the sleep from her eyes, trying to hide the blush on her cheeks at explaining just what Mei had done.

She didn't get a reply for a little while and Yuzu thought she was going to get scolded for persuading her to drink in the first place, instead, she got something softer.

"Thank you for that, I can be a handful when I drink too much when it comes to you. I appreciate you had the self-restraint to keep yourself from giving in to my advances." Mei gave a nod of acknowledgement to Yuzu. She was grateful that Yuzu had managed to stop her impulses last night, drunk and unable to remember was not how Mei wanted their first time to be, and knowing that Yuzu didn't want it either comforted Mei.

Yet Mei watched as Yuzu didn't seem to accept her apology graciously, her eyes flicked with indecisiveness and she tapped her fingers rapidly against her thighs. Mei had seen her do this several times and was beginning to wonder if the girl had some sort of twitch she was unaware of. Though not having time to bring it up as Yuzu bowed a full ninety degrees and apologised.

"I'm sorry! It was my fault!" Yuzu practically shouted as she kept her position facing the floor. This truly was a strange morning for Mei, she had woken up alone, shirtless, a banging sore head and Yuzu was apologising for her inappropriate actions?

Resting a hand on the blonde's shoulder, Mei gently incouraged Yuzu to stand up. "Yuzu, why are you apologising?" Mei asked as she finally revealed Yuzu's tearing eyes. Now she was very confused, why was she crying? Mei swore that Yuzu was too emotional and found anything worth crying over, but that was one of the reasons why she loved her.

"I-I it was my fault you got drunk. Harumin brought up that you were a light-weight and that if I wanted to get you to sleep with me then all I had to do was get you tipsy. She said then you would still be you know, stable enough to say 'yes' but relaxed enough that you wouldn't say no because we are in Mama's house. I'm sorry I listened and even thought about trying to make you do that with me! I feel terrible and I promise that I'll never try and get you drunk again!" Yuzu said, bowing again as she felt the guilt overwhelm her.

It took Mei a moment to grasp what the blonde was saying to her. So you got me drunk to try and sleep with me, got halfway through by the looks of your neck, but didn't? "You said I was the one trying to get you to sleep with me, not the other way around?" Mei said and she watched Yuzu's head shoot up at the comment.

"No no it was like that. Everyone left and you said you wanted to have s-sex so we did start making out, b-but after like five minutes I felt super bad about it because I knew you wouldn't remember any of it and that it wasn't really you. So I pushed you off me and took you through to the bedroom which is where you got mad at me." Yuzu defended to Mei who could only listen and believe what she was saying was the truth, and in all honesty, she did.

"Okay. Well, whatever happened doesn't matter now so let's forget about it and I won't tell mother. Thank you for not sleeping with me, but I would appreciate it if in the future you refrained from doing anything like this again." Mei said, turning and making her way to the kitchen where she was quick to find some paracetamol and a cup of tea.

Shocked that she had gotten over it so lightly Yuzu ran behind her into the kitchen. "Really, that's all you are going to say?" She got a raised eyebrow from her girlfriend as she sat down at the table.

"What else do you want me to say? It is not your responsibility to watch how much I drink, it was my fault for being careless. In regards to you 'plan' I can't say I approve of it but I think we both know you don't have the guts to go through with something like that; from what you've said happened last night is evidence." Mei said as she nursed her tea, wishing Yuzu would just stop talking and let her rest in peace.

It took Yuzu a few moments to figure out how she was going to respond to Mei's nonchalance. She didn't want to be scolded for her actions the night before and would rather they had a pleasant weekend together alone, but part of her felt like she was getting off too easy with this. Yuzy instead of asking to get in trouble accepted Mei decision to forget and instead placed her hands on her hips and gave her signature bright smile.

"Ok Mei, then what would you like for breakfast?"

The day continued relatively quietly for the pair, soon it was night and the two were washing up for bed following their usual nightly routine. Mei seemed to be in much better spirits now and Yuzu was grateful, maybe she would get a goodnight cuddle as well as their custom kiss.

"I'm gonna jump in the bath, kay?" Yuzu smiled as she gathered some clothes and headed to the bedroom door and continued when she got no reply from the younger girl. Not that she should have expected one, the statement didn't need a response so it solemnly happened that Mei would give one if it was unnecessary.

Yuzu was in the bath no more than ten minutes when the door slid open, letting some of the steam escape the enclosed room.

Instinctively Yuzu's hand flew to cover herself and duck under the water, "Mei?! I'm still in here," Yet the footsteps grew closer and soon Yuzu was greeted with Mei's naked form standing above her. It took all her will not to let her eyes rest at head hight and let them rise to meet Mei's gaze. Though it seemed that Mei couldn't muster her courage to look Yuzu in the eye as her eyes were locked on the bath water instead of the blonde. Without a word Mei stepped into the water beside the blonde and sat down, her shoulder mere millimetres from Yuzus.

"I thought we could bath together," Her cheeks as bright as the sun, Mei hugged her knees as she sat unmoving next to the blonde, who still had her eyes glued to her girlfriend.

Yuzu watched in disbelief as she looked upon Mei's slender form sitting next to her. The curve of her neck and round shoulder, the way her hair just covered the side of her face and flowed down the perfectly constructed back, and most of all was the furious blush on her cheeks, proving that she was feeling just as, maybe more, embarrassed as Yuzu was at the moment.

There was an awkward silence in the room as both sat unsure of what to do. Mei had been feeling a little extra when she entered the bathroom. She could feel herself wanting to spend more time with Yuzu tonight, joining her girlfriend in the bath didn't seem like that big of a deal at the time when she was collecting clothes for herself, but now she was stunned for what she should be saying. She didn't want it to be this awkward between them, so raising her head, Mei managed to look at the blonde who was still yet to look away from her.

She was first caught in the bright emeralds that locked onto her amethyst orbs the moment she looked up, then her eyes trailed down, down to the lips she had been seeking for the better part of an hour since Yuzu had made her favourite for dinner. The gesture although not uncommon gave Mei butterflies when Yuzu presented it to her, since then she had this nagging feeling to be closer to the blonde. So here she was, her lips getting frightfully close to the pair in front of her.

No words were spoken from either party, Yuzu sat motionless as her throat constricted as she tried to swallow the built up saliva in her throat at Mei advances. It also wasn't uncommon for Mei to spontaneously kiss her, but Yuzu was never prepared and they usually ended before she could even try and take the upper hand or try and prolong it.

Soon Mei had brought up her hand to rest against Yuzu's cheek, but the touch was almost nonexistent it was so featherlike. Almost as if Mei was scared to break her or ruin the moment between the two. Lips were connected and Mei felt herself melt against the soft skin of the blonde, who had uncharacteristically brought her own hand to the side of Mei's head, her fingers tangling in the locks of silky hair as her fingers massaged her scalp.

Letting her tongue brush up against her partner's lips, Mei waited mere seconds before she was granted permission to proceed further in the blonde's vortex. Mei felt her entire being relax into the embrace, her body turned in the tub to face the blonde properly, her head tilting and her fingers grasping at the blonde's cheek for security.

A moan slipped from Yuzu as she felt Mei's tongue in her mouth. One of her favourite feelings in the world. She didn't have the brain space to question where this sudden impulse had come from, all her focus was on the feelings she was currently experiencing, and the growing butterflies in the pit of her stomach as Mei's chest slowly began to press against her own as they moved closer.

Shit, that's her nipple! Yuzu screamed internally as she felt a rather hard small nub rub just above her own pink tips; they too were growing solid.

"T-Too... hot!" Yuzu panted as the kiss was broken, her breath heavy in her chest and fell even heavier against Mei's lips that were still close enough to brush with her breath.

The air was thick and musky in the bathroom, Mei's plump lips and naked form in front of her along with her erratic heart-rate all combined together to make Yuzu a sweating, crumbling mess.

It was stifling hot in the bathroom and Yuzu, most probably Mei as well, needed the fresh air they had been deprived of.

At the blonde's words, Mei seemed to regain her usual composure; moving away from Yuzu to give the girl some space in the tub.

"Sorry," was all Mei said as she moved away, letting the water wash up her skin and push against the blonde.

At the apology, Yuzu's head flew around to meet Mei, "Don't apologise for that!" Her rushed words of encouragement helped Yuzu to build up a small amount of courage, even if she was seeing stars she was so hot.

Even with Mei having moved from Yuzu, her eyes continued to flick back to the blonde, seemingly impossible to keep her gaze from her girlfriend. This not so subtle action forced Yuzu to do something. If Mei wanted to do something tonight Yuzu was more than for it, but she couldn't have Mei thinking she wasn't allowed to do stuff like this to her.

Making up the distance between them, Yuzu took Mei's cheek in the palm of her hand and brought her into a slower kiss. One that inticed Mei to face the blonde again, if only to feel the full extent of the embrace.

It lasted a while and Yuzu treasured every moment of it, and it was clear that Mei was enjoying it too. She showed that by manoeuvring her head to fit the blonde's lips better, the strong blush on her cheeks that's spread to her ears and the few quiet moans Yuzu heard.

"We should get out of the bathroom, you are getting too hot." Mei pulled away when her hand landed on the blonde's cheek and she felt the burning sensation from it. And although severally disappointed at the loss of contact, Yuzu was grateful she would get out of the swelteringly hot room.

Standing, Mei removed herself from the bath and after quickly rapping a towel around her truest form, held a hand out to help her girlfriend. Yuzu took the hand eagerly, no longer caring for the relaxing bath, but the possibility that Mei wanted this night to continue on.

"Mei, what are we doing?" Yuzu tentatively asked as she struggled to wrap her towel around herself while picking up her clothes as she tried to follow Mei out of the room.

Getting to the room, Mei spent a few moments collecting her thoughts on the side of the bed; What was she doing? She had a burning desire inside her to take the blonde. It was true they were alone this entire weekend and no one would be here to disturb them, nor was there the risk that their mother would find them in the act. Yuzu had treated her like a queen the whole day, showing her love and apologies all for her 'plan' the previous night, when really she had proved herself as the loyal, respectful, caring girlfriend she was. And Mei wanted to take their relationship to the next level. Yuzu had proven herself and was clearly eager as ever to indulge in the deed, and Mei had fantasised more times than she would admit about what it would be like to finally sleep with Yuzu, so was tonight the night they went further?

Looking up from her hands, Mei was met with the sight of Yuzu drying her semi-wet tussles of hair. Unlike herself, who had placed her hair in a bun, Yuzu's hair was soaked and if things were going to progress, Yuzu refused to have dripping wet hair. But Mei thought the sight was endearing as ever, the slightly dripping locks falling over the peachy shoulders as she shook her hair with her hands.

Having no other thoughts in her mind, Mei was up from the bed and next to Yuzu in a matter of moments. Pushed back against the bedroom wall while her tongue re-entered the blonde's mouth. The feeling almost pushing Mei over the edge.

Bodies pressed together and moans slipped from both occupants as their tongues danced and twirled around the others. Mei brought a hand to Yuzu's shoulder, the white bath towel being held up just centimetres from where her fingers were lingering.

"Yuzu, I want to." Mei gasped as she pulled back for air, her lungs wheezing as she deprived them of what they wanted. Her lips were still close enough that she placed a few pecks to the quivering lips she had just released as she looked into the wild emeralds. Seemingly shocked that Mei would actually want to go that far tonight and not just a heated make-out session.

Yuzu's eyes were filled with a new resolve. She had planned this moment for the better part of half a year and as the older one, it was her job to take control and lead Mei. Taking her role, Yuzu removed Mei's hand and slowly let her towel drop to the floor, content with the gasp she heard from Mei's lips when her body was revealed just for her.

Mei didn't have too much time to drink in the sight as she was captured in another kiss, this time although not truly being dominated, Yuzu took the leading role. Coaxing Mei's tongue with her own, gripping her lip with her teeth and letting her hands wander over Mei covered back.

Kisses were fast and between panting breathing, Yuzu let out adequate moans as she felt Mei's tentative hands come to rest against her sides, slowly beginning to move them up and down.

Loving the sensation of rubbing her hands over her lover's body, Mei's breath was just as erratic as Yuzu's was, only Mei felt she was confined within the walls of her bath towel. The fabric stopping her from taking in the air she needed.

Turning their positions, Yuzu had Mei up against the wall and left a barrage of kisses up and along her neck. Nipping and dragging her teeth along the hot skin. The excitement in Yuzu's stomach was something she had never felt before; she was about to have sex! Her mind was a scrambled mess, she had no idea how she was managing to do this, her brain certainly wasn't functioning enough to tell her to drag her hands down Mei's sides. But she did. And loved it.

"Mei," Yuzu moaned as she pulled her hands up Mei's sides and dragged them over her waist. Effectively pushing her back into the wall and pinning her in place.

Heart pounding and her cheeks roasting, Mei felt the butterflies in her stomach take control over all her senses as she felt the tongue glide up and down her neck.

A series of uncoordinated kisses and wobbly knees led the late-teens to the bed where Yuzu landed under Mei, her hands still gripping the fabric of the towel that covered the beautiful skin beneath it.

The sudden position change caused a pause in Mei's actions. She had the blonde writhing beneath her if she moved down now she could have the blonde and every piece of her. Satisfy the burning in her core. Give in to the desires that were eating away at her.

Tangled hair sprayed against the pillows, the plump lips waiting for her next move, the hot hands still on her sides.

Mei didn't care.

Reaching a hand to her chest, Mei slowly loosened the material. Her chest soon being as exposed as her girlfriends as she let the towel slide off her back onto the bed.

-gasp-

Yuzu sucked in a breath as she took in the sight of Mei offering herself to her. Unlike before, Mei waited a few moments before she dipped her head down to capture the blonde in an embrace that would soon leave the two gasping for breath.

Their chest and torsos moulded together for the first time, their legs brushed against each other and their tongues danced.

Moving on, Mei ignored the small amount of embarrassment she felt and moved to pamper the blonde's neck with her lips. Leaving soft touches and fleeting strokes of her tongue, her hands now coming to caress the hot flesh of the Blonde's sides.

This was it, she was finally giving in to Yuzu. They would go further tonight.

-Ring...Ring... Ring... Ring...-

The sound of Yuzu's phone rung out through the bedroom, momentarily distracting them, but the ringing stopped and their concentration was immediately given back to the other.

-Ring...Ring... Ring... Ring...-

Again, the phone went off and Yuzu groaned in disappointment when she felt Mei shift off her to see who was calling Yuzu this late. Yuzu watched as Mei's eyes widened at the caller.

Trying manically to get her breathing under control, Mei swiped to answer and still gave raspy breaths down the speaker.

"Good- Good evening Mother,"

"Mei? Is everything alright, you seem pretty out of breath? Where's Yuzu?" Ume's concerned voice came down the phone, and Mei lectured herself on not presenting herself properly.

"Yes, thank you. I was just doing some exercise. Yuzu is right here I was just closer to her phone, if you are calling to check up on us we are completely fine." Mei said, her breath finally coming to a normal rate.

She flicked her eyes to Yuzu who seemed annoyed with the interruption but also had gone shy. Slipping her naked body under the covers as Mei held her back to her.

"Oh that's great, I was just calling to make sure you were both okay. I'll speak to you two tomorrow then, good night, love you." Ume smiled as she spoke, and smiled brighter when she got the mumbled reply of Mei repeating her words.

Silence took over the room as Mei hung up the phone and placed it back down on the dresser.

Feeling suddenly exposed, Mei reached for the towel on the bed and brought it up to cover her chest and pelvis. Now turning around to face Yuzu, Mei after speaking with their mother had been reminded of the promise she had made to herself.

The neverending desire had ended, and Mei felt the pent up energy dwindle away after having a conversation with their mother. She had calmed down, she had returned to her rational thinking.

Doing this would be letting Yuzu win, they only had a few months left until Mei could do this guilt-free. She couldn't let this happen, she couldn't let her have this satisfaction.

The tingling feeling in her stomach was still there, no doubt about it, but she didn't have the burning desire to have Yuzu's fingers rubbing her clit anymore.

"I think we should go to bed." Getting from the bed, Mei made her way to the wardrobe and picked out some nightwear. Quickly changing into them, Mei felt slightly uncomfortable with Yuzu's strong gaze but didn't let it stop get from getting under the covers on her side of the bed.

"Huh? That's it?" Yuzu squeaked as she rose from the bed to look at Mei, finding it completely unfathomable that minutes ago they were naked on one another, now they were going to sleep.

A nod from Mei prompted Yuzu to grab some clothes of her own and slump into bed. Feeling more than extremely disheartened at the lack of activities.

Crawling into bed, the night sadly continued just like any other from then on.

...

"So, what's stopping you now?" Yuzu gave an impish grin as she came to her knees and after rolling Mei onto her back, straddled her upper thighs.

Mei cocked her eyebrow in challenge. Pushing back to see if Yuzu would go through with anything.

Yuzu accepted the offer without hesitation, her hands finding and interlocking with Mei's as she brought them to either side of the girls head.

A blush from Mei told Yuzu to continue.

Leaning down as blonde hair formed a curtain around them, Yuzu brought her lips to plant a kiss to Mei's.

"GOOD MORNING GIR- Ahhh, ehh s-sorry!" The bedroom door flung open and in walked a cheery Ume, ready to wish the two girls a good morning and tell them breakfast was ready.

But the sight before her had her flushed with embarrassment as she saw Yuzu, her sweet innocent little girl, pinning Mei down into the mattress.

Stumbling over a reply as she quickly shut the door.

The two were frozen in place; Yuzu felt mortified, her cheeks stained red, her heart thumping in her chest. Her _mother_ had just walked in on her.

"That's what's stopping me," Mei said cooly, her voice bringing Yuzu out of her trance as she looked down to Mei with disbelief. Was that really all she had to say.

Giving a gentle tap to Yuzu's legs after freeing her arms, Mei waited for her girlfriend to slip off her so she could get dressed.

Being first to leave the bedroom as Mei had left Yuzu still scrambled on the bed, Mei greeted her mother and father in the kitchen.

"Good morning Mother, Father." Turning solely to Ume, Mei continued.

"I am sorry you had to see that, it won't happen again," Mei bowed, her cheeks with more than a minor flush as she apologized.

"Nonsense, you are both fully grown women that sort of thing is normal. I should have knocked. I was just too excited having you two back for breakfast, so you don't have to apologise." Ume waved her hand to Mei, dismissing the matter.

Before Shou could even question what the two were discussing, his wife shot him a look that clearly told him 'It's none of your business', leaving him silent at the table.

"M-Mama?" Yuzu mumbled as she followed behind Mei into the room, a blush bigger than Russia spread over her cheeks, going as far as her neck.

"W-We weren't doing anything, I-I promise," Bowing a little before she tried to meet her mother's gaze and her eyes widened when she saw that Ume was only smiling softly to her.

"Don't worry about it dear, forget I saw anything at all. I've made pancakes for breakfast, so let's all sit down and enjoy them while they are still hot. Okay?" Ume said warmly as she tried to comfort her daughter, letting her know that although she had just seen something she had never wanted to, she knew it was normal and it was her fault for just walking in.

Yuzu seemed to perk up at the comment and smiled brightly before taking her seat at the table, being sure to pull Mei's chair out first.

* * *

 **Alrighty, here's the latest chapter I hope you guys like the little flashback. I'm not really sure what the next chapter will entail as I don't really have any ideas at the moment so it might be a while before the next instalment If any of you have any suggestion I would love to hear them :)**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it.**


	35. Little Yuzu

**So this chapter is going to be a shorter one, thought I deserved a break from all the double digits.**

 **The second half of this baby chapter is pretty much just filler that I thought you might like, the next will continue on with the story a little more. :)**

* * *

"Awe Mei, please! Do we really have to go?" Yuzu pleaded as she tried to remain next to her mother on the sofa, dead set that she didn't want to leave right now, but that didn't really have an effect on the youngest girl as she only narrowed her eyes at the whining tone.

"It wasn't a question Yuzu, get your stuff ready to leave," Mei said, a little too coldly as she had had enough of this charade Yuzu had put up for the past hour. They had postponed this long enough, if they waited any longer it would be nightfall before they got home.

Puffing up her cheeks, Yuzu continued to cling to her mother's arm and wedged herself further into the couch. "Why can't I just pick you up when you're done? If I go I'm just gonna get questioned and accused of things. He'll jump at the chance to get rid of me and you know it!" Yuzu said defensively as her voice raised ever so slightly, clearly being upset by the matter.

"And if you don't go you just make it look like you did do something... Mother?" Mei spat back, sighing before she turned to their mother for help, hoping she would be able to sway her daughter into leaving the apartment.

"I don't know what happened between you two so I'm afraid I don't have a say in this." Giving a nervous chuckle Ume raised her hand up as she gave Mei an apologetic look while she felt her biological daughter tighten her grip, shuffling further and further from her girlfriend.

"I don't care, that sounds better than being ridiculed for ages about why I'm not good enough. Cuz whatever I say he won't believe me, and then he will just use you crying against me and I'll be stuck! I'm not going." Yuzu said sternly as she had to look away from Mei, not being able to have an argument face to face so soon after they had just made up.

By this point, Mei felt like being petty and just telling the blonde to make her own way home then, but the glimpse of fear and guilt in the emerald eyes before she looked away stopped Mei.

"You don't know that Yuzu. He doesn't hate you, he said himself he has accepted you so please stop making this more than it has to be. Nothing he says will make any difference to how I see you so can we go please?" Her voice slightly softer now, Mei tried to reason with the cowering blonde.

Of course, nothing her Grandfather had to say would make Mei change her mind about her girlfriend, but it was her birthday yesterday and he had requested she come and see him.

Mei had already received her yearly gift from the man of several thousand being put into her account, but she noticed it was slightly higher this year, most likely because it was her twenty-first. She had to go and thank him for his generosity along with clearing Yuzu's name. After all, he hadn't heard from her or the blonde since she had left on Saturday night after turning up at his doorstep in tears.

But as soon as the topic was brought up Yuzu had refused to go. Starting off by simply avoiding the subject, to politely asking Mei if she could stay here with their mother, and now getting defensive, upset and angry about it.

Yuzu seemed a little taken aback by the statement, this wasn't a little thing for her. Their Grandfather had a stare that rivalled no other, even Mei bowed down to it. Yuzu would crumble, feel like less than a speck of sand once he started digging into her about the state she had Mei in the previous week. Yuzu knew it would happen, and she didn't exactly want to put herself in that situation where she felt too powerless to fight back and knowing that he would rather Mei be with someone else.

"It's not nothing, Mei."

Mei went to speak again but was cut off by Yuzu who let go of her mother's arm. "I would rather he just got told from you whatever you want him to hear than give him the opportunity to belittle me."

Eyes widened in frustration. This was her Grandfather here, not someone Yuzu should speak of so casually and rudely about.

"He is my Grandfather Yuzu, please don't speak about him like that. We have been together for years now and he knows that it is serious, he knows that nothing he can say will change that. If he does question you it will just be out of concern, and rightly so considering how I ended up at his manor. Besides all this, he is also your Grandfather, you should at least want your name to mean something to him. If not as his granddaughter then as my partner. He might not like being challenged, but he will respect you more for showing up than backing out of seeing him to own up."

Mei started in a warning tone, immediately shipping Yuzu up into shape about her attitude towards the man. She was walking on thin ice with the way she was speaking about him. As she continued she got more and more caring and by the end, Mei was genuinely trying to comfort her girlfriend by reassuring her.

Although even at Mei's attempt at comfort Yuzu moved her gaze from Mei to her hands, deliberately breaking the eye contact as a simple way for her showing she was set with her answers.

Moving back into the couch Yuzu kept her line of sight on her hands even when she heard Mei give a frustrated sigh. "Fine, do what you want. Goodbye Mother, thank you for the birthday wishes and dinner last night. I'm sure I'll see you soon." Mei gave a weak smile to the woman before lifting her coat from the couch and walking out the door.

Yuzu had the keys to their new car so that meant Mei was walking to her Grandfather's house and would most likely message her when she wanted to be picked up.

"Are you sure that was wise?" Ume spoke up as she watched Yuzu sulk on the couch, concerned that her daughters had only just made up from one fight and another was already beginning.

"What was I supposed to do Mama? If I go he is going to shout at me and tell me I'm not good enough for Mei. Why should I go over there just to have that shoved in my face?" Yuzu grumbled, her anger coming through in spits as she tried not to get too worked up.

Sure she wanted the man to know that what had made Mei so upset was no longer an issue, and she wanted him to know that she had felt terrible about how she had made Mei feel. But what she didn't want was to try and explain all this to a stubborn man who was set in his ways and Yuzu felt was only waiting for the opportunity to jump down her throat and replace her with a wealthy man who could support Mei.

"Maybe you should think about why Mei wanted you to go with her so badly. Perhaps she wanted you there for the support when she goes to see him?" Ume suggested, giving a sympathetic smile to the confused look Yuzu pulled.

"Why would she need support to go and see him? She's like the most important thing to him, he's not going to shout at her like he would to me if I went. Besides he asked Mei round for her birthday, not to make her feel bad." Yuzu said, thinking her mother was completely lost in her line of thought.

"Perhaps, and I don't doubt that Mei is cared deeply for by him, but think of it this way: Mei is going to go over there alone, tell him that whatever happened is no longer a problem and that you two are fine. He knows you are here because Shou spoke to him last night before he left this morning, so he will no doubt question Mei about why you left her to come alone." Ume made a gesture with her hands to see if her daughter had caught on to what she was trying to convey, but Yuzu only shrugged her shoulders, waiting for her mother to continue.

Sighing softly, Ume decided to be a little more direct in what she was saying. "So if that were to happen, he would most likely have the conversation with Mei about you. You leaving Mei to go alone shows him that you don't have the courage to stand up for yourself and her, leaving her to speak with him alone only proves his argument that you aren't what she needs. And before you say you are, I'm just guessing at what He will say, I don't think that about you for a second." Ume cut Yuzu off as she puffed up her cheeks ready to counter her mother's words.

"What I'm getting at, is that maybe Mei didn't want to have to defend your honour and say that you truly did do nothing wrong alone. You know yourself that Mei isn't too confident when it comes to going against him, so maybe she was scared to do it alone. Having you there would not only help in showing your Grandfather that you care about Mei and are willing to fight and prove yourself but give Mei the emotional support she needs." Ume smiled when she saw realisation burst onto Yuzu face.

"Wait, you're saying that she wanted me there so that when he inevitably asks about our relationship then she won't be so nervous?" Yuzu asked, getting clarification from her Mother. Who smiled weakly again at her understanding.

"Do you remember when you were ten and I got a call from your school telling me you had been suspended for two weeks?" She got a frightful nod from Yuzu, who remembered the scolding she got like it was yesterday.

"You came to speak to me with Matsuri so you wouldn't be alone. I love you more than anything in the world and yet I still had a temper like a raging bull, given I did take most of it out on the school, anyway, so when you knew how I was going to react you brought Matsuri along for moral support. Back then you relied on her presence to give you the courage you needed to say to me what you needed to, even with my anger... Right now, you need to be Mei's Matsuri." Ume gave her final explanation to her daughter and it finally seemed to click.

She remembered how she felt walking into that room where her enraged mother, who she knew was waiting for her, was. Bringing her friend along stopped her from bursting into tears straight away and allowed her to tell Ume her side of the story.

"Mama I think I gotta go," Standing from the couch Yuzu smiled gratefully to Ume before rushing to the bedroom to pack up the few items she brought with her along with her new dress from last night.

Soon she was running down the stairs to the car and after chucking the bag into the boot, drove quickly to their Grandfather's house. Hoping to get there before Mei's interrogation began.

* * *

Small feet came to a stop outside of the door, Yuzu's trembling fist came to knock on the hardwood. The door looming over her like the door to the final boss chamber in a video game. The, never to be crossed boss, lying in wait on the other side.

"C' mon Yuzu-chan, she can't be that bad and if she does shout at you I'll be right here to back you up." A sweet little voice came from the even shorter brunette, who rested a reassuring hand to the blonde's small shoulder.

Giving a 'Hmph' and a sure nod of the head, the baby knuckles gently knocked against the door and her mother's voice came through immediately.

"Come here...now." The cold voice was one that made both girls shiver and waver before they opened the door, very slowly, and edged into the room.

Yuzu, who was rather short for her age, looked up into the room where she was met with her mother standing next to a large desk with blueprints scattered over it and throughout the room. Her face showed anger, annoyance, worry and Yuzu thought she saw concern in their too, but the prominent expression of anger had her too nervous to think about it.

"Matsuri, what are you doing here?" Glazing over her baby anxious clone for a moment, Ume went straight to the girl next to her. "Umm Yuzu-chan asked me to be here so she wouldn't get upset when you shouted at her." The still innocent girl said as she twisted her toe into the floorboards, feeling like she was the one in trouble here.

"Well this is going to be a private conversation so I'm going to have to ask you to go home please," Ume said, her tone much softer as she saw the nervous look on her daughter's friend's face.

"P-please let her stay Mama," Yuzu pleaded, her eyes watering at the prospect of being left to face her mother alone.

After a moment of consideration, Ume sighed at the pair, not seeing the point in arguing. Along with the look in her daughter's eye that almost made Ume not want to reprimand her.

Taking a step back to rest against the edge of the table, Ume sighed as she went over the story the head teacher had given her this afternoon. Telling her that her daughter had been suspended for drawing inappropriate images in her textbook, talking back to the teacher and then throwing her books onto the floor and stomping out of the classroom.

Her daughter had never been one to act like this which was why Ume was so surprised when she was told. Now having to replace all the books Yuzu had thrown on the floor along with taking the time off work to look after her.

"Where do I even start? First vandalism, drawing that type of thing in the school's books, shouting at the teacher then throwing a fit and walking out the classroom? What on earth were you thinking?!" Yuzu tried to hide but there was nothing to shield her from Ume's growing in volume voice or the distressed look on her face.

"I- I didn't do it." It came out as a little more than a mumble.

"You didn't do it? Are you telling me your head teacher just lied to me for an hour, telling me how I have raised you wrong for you to think acting like that is acceptable? Because I assure you Yuzuko she did not sound like she was lying." Ume voice grew colder as she spoke, now Yuzu was lying to her after being suspended.

"No!... she wasn't lying...but..." Yuzu shouted the first word but the rest again came out shy and weary.

"But?" Ume was not in the mood for her daughter's game of beating around the bush. She wanted answers and she wanted them now.

"I-I didn't draw the naughty picture," Yuzu said, sounding a little more sure than before, but her eyes still not always meeting her mother's angered gaze.

"It was in your book Yuzuko, nobody else is allowed to touch your book. You were the only one to touch it-" Ume went to continue but was cut off by a raised voice from the blonde.

"Not true! I went to the bathroom and when I came back someone had drawn it there. I promise!" Yuzu begged for her mother's belief, and her eyes did soften slightly.

"Yelling at the teacher and throwing things over the room?" Ume asked as she began to see where this was leading after all her daughter had a temper much like her own.

"I tried to tell the teacher that it wasn't me but he wouldn't believe me. He called me out in front of the whole class to show how bad I was and then I saw Kono laughing at me. I knew it was her so I said that... Then he started accusing me of lying and I got really mad at him for calling me that..." Yuzu said but she trailed off again, leaving Ume to prompt her again.

"And then what happened?"

"I smacked my hands off the table, and then he got mad at me for doing that saying that all my behaviour was going to get me in even bigger trouble... so then I shouted that I didn't care because he wasn't listening to me and I left." By this point Yuzu could feel the piercing gaze from her Mama when she clasped onto Matsuri's hand, hoping it would somehow shield her from whatever came from her mother.

"Did or didn't you throw the books on the floor?" Ume wanted the whole story, if she was to go and plead her daughter's innocence then she would need to know everything she did.

Going to speak but not having the ability as her throat tightened up and her eyes watered as she knew she would get into trouble for what she did. Whether she started it or not.

Nodding her head, Yuzu watched her feet and cringed when she heard her mother give a deep sigh of disappointment. Yuzu thought she heard her mother curse under her breath and was glad that she was trying to cap her anger at the moment.

Ume was always like that with her, Yuzu had seen her mother get angry, but never at her. Upset, annoyed and sometimes irritated yes, but she always managed to keep her cool with her daughter. Though it looked like she was having a harder time than usual today.

Yuzu knew she was wrong, she shouldn't have gotten so worked up and just told Ume when she came home, so it was half her fault.

"How many times have I told you that violence is never the answer? If you have a disagreement with your teacher like that you don't blow up at them, you come and talk to me about it." Ume scolded, still not understanding why her daughter who usually followed all the rules had taken such a reaction today.

"I know that Ma-"

"Then why did you do it?!" Ume's voice raised at the simplicity of her daughter's answer. But she quickly pulled herself together and apologised to Yuzu who wore a slightly frightened expression while her sobs were finally released.

"I'm sorry Mama!" Yuzu wailed as she let go of the younger girls hand and ran into Ume's legs. Hugging them tightly as she tried to comfort herself. After all, she had been lectured all afternoon by the teachers at her school, come home to receive something similar from her mother; she was ten, and her emotions were still as they are now. So being shouted at so much had her eyes pooling with tears as she was finally able to show how upset she was.

Ume, who knew she still had to have a proper chat with Yuzu about the way she had acted, instantly caved at her crying baby girl. Quickly dropping down to one knee and wrapping her in a tight hug while reassuring her that it was okay.

When Yuzu wrapped her small arms around the older woman's neck and held on for dear life, Ume took the signs and lifted the little girl onto her hip. Stroking her back and bobbing her up and down to try and calm her down, all the while Yuzu sobbing about how Ume was the best mother ever and had raised her right, along with countless apologies.

"Matsuri dear, I think you should head home. Yuzu's going to be alright, would you like me to walk you?"Ume gave the blue-eyed girl a small smile, but with her offer being refused, opted for watching her from the window to make sure she got home safely.

"Now calm down sweetie, it's alright. We just need to have a little talk about how you handle things, I'm not going to shout at you." Sighing softly Ume walked to the living room and managed to get Yuzu to sit down on the couch by herself while the lecture began.

* * *

 **Well that's it for this one, I know it was a pretty random chapter but it works I think.**

 **As always I hope you liked it. :)**


	36. Feeling Better

**Hi guys, I've been in a little bit of a sump in terms of motivations for this story. The last chapter I wrote involving Willow was one I've had in my mind for a long while, but I feel it's a little too soon to introduce another problem/event into the story. I know most of you who read my story will have already read that chapter but for now, I'm gonna put it on the back burner and just write some fluffier stuff... Well, stuff that doesn't create anymore conflict or stress on our girls.**

 **I really like Willow, so I will introduce her again at some point, so expect to see her again but when I can't say yet, so for the story Yuzu still doesn't know who Willow is.**

 **Hope this doesn't mess with the story too much :)**

* * *

Mei felt her heartbeat quicken as she neared her grandfather's office, having arrived more than ten minutes ago and was thinking about what to say.

Yuzu had decided not to come and so she would have to face her grandfather alone. Which usually didn't bother her, but today she knew that there would be a few questions about Yuzu's true intentions and her feelings towards her.

Which Mei thought the man had every right to ask. She had turned up at his door at four in the morning, still crying and stayed with him for several days until she returned home. It seemed normal that he would have some misgivings about Yuzu after he had seen what she had done to Mei.

It wasn't going to be easy persuading the man that Yuzu truly had done nothing wrong, well nothing of the kind that Mei thought and was upset about.

The only thing Mei would maybe say Yuzu needed to work on was her little habit of keeping things to herself until she wanted to tell Mei. Or felt she had to. And she had already begun to work on that and had promised to be honest in the future.

Taking one last shaky breath Mei raised her hand and went to knock on the door but was stopped by a raised voice. One that had her straining her ear to see who was being shouted at, but also had her stuck in place not daring to move.

"Absolutely Not! Had you been telling the truth you wouldn't have let her leave at such a ridiculous time and in such a state! You would have comforted her not make her feel uncomfortable in her own home!" The words rang throughout the room and echoed through the house, Mei drew a sharp breath at the words.

How was it possible that who she thought was on the receiving end of the shouting was here. Yuzu had made it more than clear she wasn't coming so how?

"You are right, I should have done a better job at making her feel safe and secure, but we all make mistakes and that night was one of my biggest." Yuzu's gaze dropped and regret took hold of her expression for a moment, but before she had time to wallow in it she had to make sure the exasperated man in front of her heard what else she had to say.

"I love her, and I am never going to let anything tear us apart; Not an argument that should never have happened in the first place, not other people's opinions and certainly not because you want us to. If you don't think I'm good enough for Mei then let me prove it to you again. I did in high school when you demanded that I pull my grades up, and I'll do it again now. And just so you know, when Mei left to come here that night, I didn't just let her leave. I called her and begged her to come home, I hated that she had to leave because of me and I wished that she would have stayed until the morning at least. But things just didn't work out that way, but if anything the whole ordeal brought us closer and I think if Mei were here she would say that too." Yuzu's voice came strong and unwavering from the other side of the door, Mei felt her heart quicken at the words. Happiness and pride swelled in her chest listening to her girlfriend.

The door no longer felt so dominating, nor the idea of going against her grandfather.

"Yuzu is correct Grandfather. The events of last week are no longer a concern in our relationship, Yuzu has done more than enough this past week to make up for it. And as she said: I do feel closer to her than I did previously." Walking into the room, Mei managed to slip her hand into Yuzu's and gave it a tight reassuring squeeze as she came to stand next to her.

No words were said as the two waited to see what the man's response would be. As the time trickled on Yuzu felt Mei's hand begin to tremble ever so slightly, and internally thanked her mother for making her see just why Mei wanted her to be here.

Over the years he had been as much of a father figure to Mei as Shou had, and his approval was as important to her as Ume's was to Yuzu.

He sighed and sat down, furrowing his brow for a moment before giving a small nod.

"Very well, but let me assure you Yuzuko, if I find my granddaughter like that again, you will not be so easily forgiven. Even at her request." It was more of a grumbled threat, and Yuzu quickly nodded to his demand.

As he took a moment to collect his thoughts Yuzu turned to Mei.

"I'm sorry about before, I didn't know why you wanted me to come but Mama made it clear to me. I'm going to wait outside while you talk to him about your birthday, okay?" Yuzu said with a sad smile, relief flooding her as she managed to get there in time to keep Mei from being here alone.

"Thank you," Mei smiled subtlety as she held onto Yuzu's hand tighter before letting go.

Yuzu just smiled brightly to her girlfriend before giving her a fleeting kiss on the cheek and leaving the room, leaving Mei with a blush at the act in front of their Grandfather.

Yuzu felt like steel blocks were lifted off her chest when she was finally able to escape the towering man's presence.

A little over an hour later Mei had finally left the man's office and was now searching the mansion for her girlfriend, who was supposed to be waiting outside not putting up a wild goose chase. After searching all the down floor lounges and her bedroom upstairs, Mei finally saw her beloved sitting innocently as ever at the front door.

Standing on the main stairs that lead up to the second floor, Mei looked down at her girlfriend who was, as asked, patiently sitting on a plush leather stool gently swinging her legs back and forth as she smiled out the window.

Mei had no idea what she was looking at, but the light did shine in just the right way to light up Yuzu's cheeks, practically making her glow. A soft smile spread over her face as she started her descent down the flight of stairs, as she grew closer the soft sound of her girlfriend humming hit her ears, and much like her playing, it sounded beautiful. Well maybe Mei was slightly biased because she was irrationally captivated by the figure in front of her, but still, she stuck to her evaluation.

Her footsteps drew the attention of the blonde who lit up at the new arrival, "Mei!" A large excited smile on her face as she jumped up from her seat, Yuzu bounced on the heels of her feet as she waited for Mei to get closer.

Finally within touching distance, Yuzu grew red when Mei's hands cupped her cheeks as she was brought in for a slow gentle kiss. "... I love you," Pulling away a few moments later, Mei took a few seconds to take in Yuzu's exasperated expression before saying three small words that pushed away any and all negative thoughts in both girl's minds.

Bringing up her hand, Yuzu gentle stroked her thumb along Mei's cheek, a small content smile on her lips. "Is everything alright, did it go okay?" Yuzu spoke softly as she felt Mei relax into her touch, wearing a smile similar, although less noticeable, to Yuzu.

"Everything went fine," Mei nodded as she waited a few more seconds before leaving the brief embrace and walked towards the door.

"Let's go home," Yuzu didn't have to be told twice as she grabbed her bag from the floor and rushed after Mei, finally feeling like things were back to normal. The past week and a half had not done Yuzu any favours; she felt constantly on edge as if anything she said was wrong, loneliness, a stifling sense of guilt and she had felt like she wanted to cry all the time. But now, all that was gone. Now she had Mei back and the only thing she could think to do was smile.

The journey home was a peaceful one, as Yuzu, and Mei finally felt content with the other.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading, I feel like the citrus fanfic has been slow recently so I hope this chapter quenches your thirst for a while. Let me know what you thought and I also have a small announcement to make: I am looking to start doing some art commissions. I haven't much experience in the way of commissions but I'm trying to broaden my horizons. My Deviantart page is '** jamnbutter' **and if anyone is interested I'd love to hear from you :)**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and let me know what you thought. :)**


	37. Chillaxing

Mei sat in content silence on the couch as she listened to Yuzu playing the piano. She had started playing a little over a half-hour ago. Mei had been reading her book on the couch when after nearly an hour of scrolling through her phone from between Mei's legs, Yuzu got up and sat in front of the piano before starting a small tune.

She had stopped and started several times but Mei continued to watch in adoration as she attempted to make sense of the sheet music her girlfriend was playing from, not that it did her any good as she failed to even read the first line, whereas Yuzu just took fleeting glances before she went back to watching her hands, keeping the melodies up and filling the apartment with a soft tune.

And although Mei didn't listen to the same music as her counterpart, Yuzu seemed to like playing intricate classical pieces on the piano and for that Mei was thankful as she had been brought up around classical and jazz.

So both the strong fuller pieces along with the softer pieces Yuzu played, Mei enjoyed it all. She was still captivated every time Yuzu played for her, you would assume that she would have come to terms with it after knowing for several months now, but every time those slender fingers hit the keys of the burgundy instrument Mei's attention was immediately grasped.

It was late evening and after showering and getting ready for bed, the pair had decided to spend some time in the living room instead of just lying in bed until they got tired. Thankfully for Mei that meant that she got a wonderful display from her girlfriend that made her heart sore.

The fingers came to a gentle stop before Yuzu's perfect posture jumped around with a wide grin and a peace sign. "Waddaya think?" Her excited voice penetrated the so-far peaceful silence, her entire form now facing Mei to get her approval for her playing.

Closing her book entierly Mei nodded before standing up. "It was good." Placing her book on the table, Mei began to leave the living room for bed, but was stopped by a pout. "That's it? Hmph, even after I played the pieces you like the most, and I didn't even make any mistakes!" Yuzu huffed as she brought her feet up under her, crossing her legs as she folded her arms and stuck out her bottom lip in an attempt to get Mei's attention.

Mei sighed before turning back around to Yuzu, already expecting the pout she saw when she did, "You played well Yuzu, but boasting isn't necessary. I already know you can play well, fishing for compliments isn't attractive. I'm going to bed, are you coming now or staying up?" Mei spoke casually but she was struggling to stop the smile that was twitching at her lips. Yuzu oblivious to the teasing instantly lost her smile, a sour line taking it's place as she lost the energy behind her question.

Unfolding her legs but keeping her arms crossed, Yuzu stood from the stool and grumbled a "Fine, I'm coming," Under her breath before dragging her feel in disappointment across the living room. Mei felt a small pang in her chest as she watched a deflated Yuzu walk past her and down the hall.

"Your playing was lovely as always Yuzu, I was only teasing you," Mei said as she quickly turned the lights off and caught up to Yuzu before she reached the bedroom. Though it seemed that Yuzu didn't hear as she continued to sulk her way into the room, gentle kicking the door to the bedroom open as she refused to uncross her arms. Not seeing the point in stopping the amusing show quite yet, Mei watched with a smirk and leaned against the door frame, watching as Yuzu grumbled something under her breath as she sat on the side of the bed.

With her arms still crossed, Mei decided it was enough. "Are you finished being a child?" Her eyebrow raised, Mei's smile never faded even when Yuzu's head shot up in protest, but before Yuzu could complain to Mei, she had already begun speaking.

"If you stopped moping for a second you would have heard what I said in the hall; I was just teasing you, I thought your playing was amazing as always but the same can not be said for your attitude." An awkward smile took control of Yuzu's lips as she unfolded her arms to scratch her head in embarrassment.

"Oh... I didn't hear you," A nervous chuckle and Yuzu was joined by Mei on the bed. Getting under the covers, Yuzu nervously edged closer to Mei as she settled under the covers. With the younger girl facing away from her as she prepared to settle down for the night, Yuzu risked laying a hand on the dip of her waist as she pulled her body centimetres from Mei's. "Is this okay?" Her voice small, Yuzu tapped her fingers over the skin to show Mei what she was asking about.

They had snuggled up close the night before at their mother's house, but Yuzu didn't know if that was just because they had solved their arguments and it was Mei's birthday. Yuzu wasn't sure if now that Mei had had time to think everything over if she still had any misgivings about everything that had happened over the past couple of weeks, so she wasn't sure if this contact was appreciated or not.

At the question, Mei didn't give a verbal answer instead she shuffled backwards. Her entire form pushing into Yuzus. After pulling at the hand on her waist so that Yuzu's entire arm was wrapped around her, Mei spoke. "You don't need to ask Yuzu,"

Mei smiled to herself, but the newfound warmth on her back was soon lost as Yuzu sat up on her elbow to look over Mei. "Nuh-uh, I do. Last time I tried to touch you in bed you got uncomfortable, and the time before that you... Well you know what happened, I just wanted to be sure because I didn't want to do something you didn't want me to," At the reminder of what Mei had done, Yuzu quieted her voice as to not upset Mei, but she had to get her point across.

At the comment, Mei turned around, a guilty look on her face as she looked up to Yuzu from the pillows. "Yuzu..." Just saying her name was enough to gather the guilt-ridden lump in her throat.

At the realisation of the feelings she had just stirred Yuzu layed back down on her side to face Mei, but before she could say anything Yuzu saw Mei lift her hand to her chest and her fingers ran ever so lightly over it. With a look to her face, Yuzu felt as though her heart was going to crack. Guilt lined the edges of Mei's face and her eyes had gained a watery glaze over them at the reminder of what she had done the previous week.

When her hand stopped moving, it rested over the centre of Yuzu's chest, the fingers gripping at the fabric of the material. "I'm sorry I hit you... I never meant for it to happen..." The apology came from a croaky clammed up throat and Yuzu quickly grabbed Mei's hand and gave a soft kiss to the knuckles.

"Hey, you already apologised for it, I said it was fine. C'mon we talked over it, I'm fi-" Yuzu was cut off as Mei spoke up, looking her straight in the eyes. "Let me see... please just let me see," Yuzu paused a moment before she released Mei's hand and raised her shirt over her head, a slight blush on her cheeks at exposing her bare chest but as she lay back down on the bed and beneath the covers she noticed that Mei's eyes were nowhere near her boobs. They were too intent on finding any traces of what had happened the week before.

There were a few minute yellow patches on the peachy skin, but nothing anyone would have noticed. Well, anyone apart from Mei who traced the almost invisible marks with her fingers. "I know we talked about it and you told me that you didn't blame me, but, but I know what I did is so wrong. I can't undo it and I left all these bruises on you... I'm so, so sorry," Bringing her head closer, Mei placed a few kisses to the visible marks before resting her head on the skin.

Knowing there was no way Mei would let something like this slide, Yuzu settled for gently stroking her hair. "I know you still feel terrible about it Mei, but trust me, you have left much worse, more visible marks on me." Her attempt at a joke didn't even get a laugh from her girlfriend.

"Sorry, what I meant was... I know you hate what you did and because you will never let me say that it was my fault, we can just learn from it? We just have to make sure it never happens again; on both parts." Yuzu gave a soft smile as she ran her hands through the silky black locks.

"I promise," Mei's voice was strong as she spoke, her head rising from Yuzu's chest to look the girl in the eye. Making her promise that much more valuable. Dipping her head down, Yuzu took Mei in a soft kiss, sealing the promise. "I know," Yuzu smiled as she said the words, and she felt Mei give a soft smile against her lips too.

"C'mon, it's been another super long day, let's go to sleep and start fresh tomorrow morning?" Yuzu asked as she let Mei rest her head in the crook of her neck while she buried her nose into her hair. Arms wrapping around the other, they both snuggled into the other trying to put the events of the week behind them.

Yet minutes later Yuzu's voice was heard in the room again, "Hey Mei?" Her voice was no longer as soft as it had been prior, now it was slightly playful and Mei caught on straight away.

"Yuzu?" Not moving from her place on the blonde's neck, Mei responded as she felt a hand trace along her bare arm before playing with the material of her shirt.

"I was just thinking, that maybe since I have my shirt off... it's only fair if you do the same." Yuzu risked a gentle tug at the end of her sentence before Mei sat up, and after a quick glance over the bed leaned over the now hot flushed blonde. Leaning down so that she could whisper in Yuzu's ear, Mei smiled when she felt the heat it was giving off.

"I have a better idea," The words came out seductively and Yuzu was quick to give a rapid nod as she moved onto her back to look directly up at Mei, a large blush on her cheeks as she imagined all the things the woman on top of her could be thinking of.

Yuzu's breath caught in her throat when Mei blew on her ear before asking her to sit up, which of course Yuzu followed without hesitation. "Close your eyes," Again Yuzu followed the instruction as her heart started to beat faster in her chest as she felt fingers glide over her arms. That was before she felt a material pulled over her head, then her arms guided into it too. Confused, Yuzu opened her eyes and met Mei's smiling face and was left to watch as she slipped back under the covers.

"There, now we are both the same," It was safe to say that Yuzu was dumbfounded by the words, but what was the worst was that Mei was completely serious. After a few more moments of staring in disbelief at the laying figure next to her, Yuzu sighed before falling back into the bed.

Though she didn't last long in her pout as she was soon once again lying on her side and tentatively wrapped her arms around Mei's waist, pulling her back into her chest as she settled for the chance to hold Mei in her arms.

Morning came before Yuzu would have welcomed it but the sun was relentless as it shined in through the blinds, forcing her eyes to wake up to try and avoid the pain of it in her eyes for any longer. Peeking her eyes open ever so slightly she saw the sun peeking through the blinds and smiled when she could still feel Mei in front of her, although now Mei was facing her and had her head tucked downwards away from the sun, sleeping peacefully.

A quick glance to the bedside table told Yuzu it was already past nine, a sigh escaped her lips as she flopped back into the pillows. In mere hours she would have to be in class, not that Yuzu didn't enjoy her lectures, but today all she wanted to do was be with Mei.

Sure enough minutes later a loud beeping emanated throughout the bedroom, stirring Mei from her slumber while Yuzu groaned as she moved out of her lovers lose grasp to get her phone. Switching the button off as soon as she got there Yuzu took a moment to flick through her notifications before turning back to Mei who was still wiping the sleep from her eyes.

"Morning," A gentle awakening came from Yuzu as she smiled over to Mei, who in turn gave one back. Stretching before slipping from the sheets, Mei wasted no time as she removed her nightwear and changed into normal clothes for the day to come. In the time she had gotten dressed, albite it slowly with the occasional tired stumble, Yuzu was still sitting in bed scrolling through her phone.

"Hey, Matsuri just messaged me asking if we wanted to go out for drinks at some point this week." Yuzu stated as she looked up from the message and to Mei who mulled over the offer before shrugging her shoulders to Yuzu.

"I don't mind, but I would prefer dinner or something and remember you start your job on Thursday. You said you are working all weekend?" Mei asked and got a nod from Yuzu,

"Well then it will have to be in the next few days then, that or she can wait until next week." Mei said nonchalantly as she brushed her hair, no longer bothered by the news of Yuzu starting her job; Well not that she needed to show Yuzu. She didn't need to tell Yuzu that she was going to be lonely because she wasn't going to be here, that would just be embarrassing.

"But, I ehh, can't really afford to go out for dinner..." Yuzu gave an awkward chuckle as she scratched her head, while Mei turned around with a sceptical eye. It wasn't often that Yuzu would spend all of her money, well not to the point that she couldn't even afford a meal. At the questioning look, she was getting from the future chairwoman, Yuzu felt the bed get really hot all of a sudden.

"We-well I spent pretty much all my savings on your present, and I kind of used the last of it on your birthday so I'm gonna have to wait until I get my loan next month..." Yuzu mumbled more of the response than speaking it, her hands playing with the drawstrings of her shorts as she waited to be scolded.

"Don't worry about it, I can pay... I really don't think you need to get me something that costs so much Yuzu, it seems silly to spend so much on a present." Mei was quick to offer to pay for the meal, but became somewhat nervous as she tried to think about what Yuzu was wasting all her money on.

"Yeah, says the girl who spent more than a grand on a piano then two hundred grand on a car, that you only got cuz of me." Yuzu countered with a shaky smile as she made Mei turn around, but instead of an argument she merely looked away.

"You need to get out of bed, it's getting late," Turning from the blonde, Mei made her way out of the room, refusing to let herself be beaten in the quarrel.

Yuzu only smiled from her place on the bed before turning back to her phone and sending a reply back to the pinkette saying they would be able to go out for dinner tomorrow night.

Soon with dinner preparation made and Yuzu now dressed and leaving the bedroom, she was met with Mei sitting at the dining table with an oversized stuffed bear in her hands as she waited for Yuzu to come through.

"No breakfast?" Yuzu questioned as she motioned to the kitchen but the reply she got only made her laugh.

"I didn't want to cook so I thought I would just wait for you to get up," Mei said this so seriously, Yuzu couldn't help but let her laugh lose and give her girlfriend a fleeting kiss on the cheek before making her way into the kitchen to prepare something for the pair to eat. After all, Yuzu couldn't have her girlfriend going hungry now, could she?

The morning had passed quickly as both girls sat down to breakfast and soon lunch before Yuzu was rushing out the door for her class.

Hours had passsed when Mei was greeted with the blonde's present again, bursting in through the front door as she announced her arrival.

"Mei, your favourite person is home!" Shouting through a smile, Yuzu shimmied out of her shoes and jacket before meeting Mei at the dining area.

"I don't see mother?" Looking up from her text book, Mei made a show of looking around the room before settling on the blonde in front of her.

With no retort, Yuzu sat down opposite her girlfriend as she dropped her book bag to the floor.

"Hmph... What'd you do today?" With a grumbled sigh Yuzu pulled Mei's textbook from her and quickly scanned the pages before makeing a gaging motion and sliding it back.

"Just some study, how was class?" Mei smiled at the imitation, placing the book back where it should have been.

"Fine," Giving the single word answer, Yuzu waited a few moments before pulling out her phone.

Thinking that was her que, Mei watched the girl opposite her for a second more before focusing her energy back on her studies.

After a short while, Yuzu was rolling up her sleeves and entering the kitchen to see what she could make for dinner.

"Hey, instead of just watching TV tonight, how about we have a little game night? It has been ages since we played monopoly." Yuzu asked as she pulled pans from the cupboard.

"No," A small response came from Mei as she continued on with her book, giving the question no more than a seconds thought.

Though because of such a blunt, emotionless answer Yuzu instantly worried she was in the dog house.

Sure Mei wasn't always the talkative type, and yes she did sometimes just not speak for hours or even days, but she had seemed fine today.

"Did I... do something wrong?" A few moments later, Yuzu managed to speak up. Both not wanting to make Mei even more annoyed if she was angry, but also to get some answers for the short reply.

"Why would you think that? Have you done something I should be upset about?" The reply came as if it was an effort and Yuzu quickly put her hands in the air, her defensive gesture not even being seen as Mei didnt look up from her book.

"No, no of course I haven't! You just seemed really blunt when you answered me," Her voice slighy wavering as she spoke, Yuzu waited for her reply that took nearly a minute to come.

"I'm just not in the mood for it, a book and silence is all I want tonight." Mei seemed a little guilty at her answer, but it was the truth. Speaking just seemed like such an effort tonight, she couldn't be bothered for it.

Any woman could tell you what this was like. To have nothing bothering you at all, and yet it irritated you just to have someone speaking, giving more than two words answers required extra effort that you just don't have or can't be bothered to find.

"Oh, okay then." Clearly disheartened by her girlfriend's request, Yuzu seemed to slug through dinner preparations along with a pretty quiet dinner.

Just like Mei had asked the night was spent in realitive silence, as Yuzu tiptoed on everything she did and eventually settled for watching Netflix on her phone with her earphones. The entire time Mei sat on the couch reading in silence.

It wasn't anything Yuzu should have be worried about considering Mei wasn't a talkative person to start with, but it was never fun for the blonde.

Pulling an earphone out her ear, Yuzu looked to the other side of the couch where Mei currently was; still silent, still reading.

Putting her phone down, Yuzu clambered down from the arm chair and made her way over behind Mei. Resting her hands on the younger's shoulder, Yuzu leaned down and placed a chaste kiss to her cheek before speaking in a soft voice.

"Are you feeling any better?" Gently moving her fingers as she massaged the small shoulders in front of her, Yuzu asked.

Taking a few moments to finish her page, Mei then closed the book and after taking a moment more to appreciate the relaxing feeling coursing through her shoulders, spoke.

"I didn't say there was anything wrong, but yes I do feel slightly happier than I did earlier... As long as you keep that up of course," Mei spoke calmly before adding in a detail that only made Yuzu smile, continuing to rub the small, tense muscles.

"Oh, well I'm glad you feel better," Yuzu responded before giving another kiss to her girlfriend's cheek.

"Shuffle forward a little," Yuzu asked, and when Mei pulled herself up so she was no longer leaning on the arm of the chair, Yuzu jumped up over onto it.

Now sitting comfortably with her feet on either side of the raven-haired girl, Yuzu motioned for Mei to sit back between her legs.

"Here," Soft but strong fingers pushed and pulled at the soft yet tough shoulders, Yuzu determined to make them soft and relaxed.

"You know if your shoulders and neck are sore you could have asked me to give you a massage. I don't mind,"

All she got was a slight moan and a nod in response as she rubbed over a tense spot with her fingers.

"Was class alright today, nothing bad happened?" Yuzu asked as she pushed her thumbs into the back of Mei's neck. It wasn't super direct, but Mei knew who Yuzu was talking about.

"Everything was fine, I didn't even speak to her. I got home not long before you did," Mei answered and it took a moment for Mei to continue, only doing so when Yuzu gave a harder rub of the shoulders and stayed silent.

"Okay, I did get a little distracted when she first walked in, but I remembered what you said to me last week and I manage to focus." Mei spoke nervously, scared that Yuzu would think badly of the jealously that still sprung in her chest.

"Oh really? That's good, I'm proud of you." Yuzu smiled down at Mei, happy that she was being truthful.

Mei gave nod of acknowledgment, and cooled down as Yuzu continued.

Before Mei even registered it she was lying topless on her chest on the couch as Yuzu sat straddling her bum. Fingers rubbing moisturiser into her skin as they kneeded and rolled along the length of her back.

"Mmm, that feels good, down a little, mhn right there," Yuzu could only smile and obey the words -well moans- that left the shirtless girl's mouth.

Stopping only to put some quiet music on in the background, Yuzu spent the better part of an hour running her fingers over the milky white skin of her lover's back. All the while listening to the beautiful sounds that left the mouth below her.

Eventually even a pianist's fingers tire and Yuzu, although reluctant to stop giving Mei pleasure, had to give herself a break.

"Okay Mei, that's it for tonight, all done." Giving a light tap to the freshly moisturised skin, Yuzu didn't move from her position on the peachy backside until she heard some sort of recognition from the otherwise sleeping girl.

When all she got was a grunt and a roll of the shoulder as a sign to continue, Yuzu sighed.

Looking to the clock it was already past eleven and Mei, whether she remembered it or not at this very moment, had class first thing.

"Mei, you have class in like ten hours, you need to get to bed. And no you can't sleep here it's not good for you," Yuzu said as she trailed a finger up Mei exposed spin, the sensation forcing Mei's body awake as she jolted her back at the ticking of hundreds of nerve endings.

Sliding off the cheeks, Yuzu stood from the couch and stretched her stiff joints. Patiently waiting for her girlfriend to follow.

And as told, soon Mei was sitting up on the couch, a cushion held to cover her bare chest as she opened her eyes.

"...You say that and yet you lived on it for days." It came groggily, but the remark was still there. Yuzu could only laugh at the comment as it was completely true.

"Yup and I paid for it fully, trust me!" Yuzu exclaimed as she made a show of popping a muscle in her back, only for Mei to grimace and look away.

"C'mon, get up-..." Yuzu started her whine but was brought to a immediate stop when Mei placed the pillow back on the couch and stood up. Her entire chest exposed and facing Yuzu as she stretched her arms out.

Her face turned red at the image in front of her. Mei was fully flaunting her breasts to Yuzu, they were in full view and she definitely wasn't shy about it.

Aside from a fleeting glance of Mei's upper chest on Saturday, it had been over a week since Yuzu had layed eyes on the girl's skin let alone her boobs.

With Mei not even trying to cover herself Yuzu was left to stare in amazement at the two mounds. Her cheeks couldn't have gotten hotter as she failed to blink at the image before her.

Her heart rate quickened and her eyes traced Mei's torso from top to bottom, only breaking her intense gaze when Mei turned around and began heading for the hall.

"Just your reward," Mei smiled as she walked away, very aware of the eyes that were glued to her naked back and purposely swaying her hips a little to grab even more of the blonde's attention.

A stunded moment was spent in the living room before Yuzu realised just what Mei had said. A grinning smirk appeared on the blonde's face before she dashed to shut down the living room and make up the space between her and her girlfriend.

Just as Mei entered the bedroom she felt two burning hot hands on either side of her ribcage, gripping possessively to her body.

"I gave you an hour of my time, so..." The hands slowly traveled down the slim torso, making sure to feel all of the exposed skin. Just brushing the top of her shorts before moving back up.

Mei could now feel Yuzu's body pressed behind her, forcing her to pay attention to the tingling feel the blonde was causing over her skin.

"Hmm, waddya say?" Yuzu asked, her voice sultry as she raised herself onto her tiptoes to reach Mei's ear.

Unfortunately for Yuzu, Mei's hands reached the blondes and unlike Yuzu had expected, peeled the fingers from her.

"You got your reward, I think you should continue what you were doing in the living room." Mei said, and already being in her night shorts made her way over to her side of the bed.

Lying under the sheets on her stomach, leaving her back exposed so that Yuzu could continue her work.

Yuzu, however, just stood motionless at the door way, watching as Mei lay waiting for her.

Surly Mei hadn't just turned her down again? This was the second night Yuzu had tried to get some...and she got absolutely nothing.

But then again, she had Mei so it kinda made it even in Yuzu's eyes.

Crawling over Mei's legs to get to her side of the bed, Yuzu slipped under the covers and gave a smile to Mei who had her head facing the blonde's pillow. A pleading look in her lidded eyes as she waited for Yuzu to climb back on top of her and continue her massage.

Tracing her fingers gentle over the soft back, Yuzu gave an apologetic smile.

"Sorry babe, but my hands are too tired, we will have to take a rain check..." Smiling softly at the cute pout Mei made, Yuzu placed a quick peck to her nose.

"...I Promise," Yuzu smiled as she confirmed her statement to a still pouting Mei.

Removing her hand from her lovers back Yuzu waited for her to get into a better sleeping position.

It took a moment for Mei to move, but she eventually turned on her side with her back to the blonde.

Yuzu pulled Mei close to her and placed a delicate kiss to her shoulder while lacing an arm over her waist.

"...Oh sorry, em do you want me to get you your shirt?" Yuzu asked as she noticed she was drawing small circles with the tips of her fingers on Mei's stomach.

But Mei shook her head, "This is fine," Closing her eyes, Mei took comfort in the blonde's grasp as she settled into the pillow and tried to let sleep over take her.

Yuzu waited minutes for Mei to settle down, but she continued to shuffle and twitch in front of her. Eventually two minutes became five, then ten, with Mei still squirming in space.

"Babe? You okay?" Yuzu quickly gave in to her curiosity. Mei had ways been one to fall asleep as soon as possible, this was just wierd and Yuzu had had enough.

Mei shook her head and Yuzu was about to ask what was wrong, but Mei moved faster.

A small hot hand wrapped around her wrist, and Yuzu felt her cheeks burst full of heat as Mei lifted her hand from her stomach and pressed it against her chest.

A sharp intake could be heard as Yuzu's palm made contact with a semi-hard nub. Yuzu could feel the impact her touch had as she felt Mei's torso suck in as soon as her skin was pressed against Mei's.

When her wrist was released, Yuzu took a moment to actually get her mind around what had just happened.

When it sunk in and finally hit Yuzu, she gently pulled her hand millimetres from the growing nub before slowly moving her hand in a circular motion; The action rubbing just the tip of Mei's nipple across her palm.

Another deep breath was taken and Yuzu felt Mei's back arch as she tried to stick her chest further forward.

"Mei..." Yuzu voice came thick in the room, her heart beating furiously in her chest as she waited for Mei to say something.

But Yuzu didn't get a verbal reply, Mei instantly flipped herself around on the bed and took Yuzu in a deep kiss.

A stumble in the dark to find the peachy lips awaiting her, but once Mei found them she refused to let them go.

But however hot the kiss was Yuzu could feel Mei's exhaustion from her day, and the hour massage she had just had probably didn't help in boosting her energy.

When the kiss was finally broken and lips only connected in small pecks, Yuzu gently connected her lips and tongue to Mei's neck. Layering it endless sucks and kisses.

"...Just... let me," Yuzu whispered before she turned Mei over to her original position, only this time Yuzu was much more prepared.

A hand still under Mei as it circled her body and cupped one of the large boobs; her body pressed flush against Mei's, offering the support she would soon need; and her final hand swept over the curve of her waist and down to her shorts.

Seeing the rush Mei seemed to be in, Yuzu forwent the usual foreplay of teasing and headed straight to the main event.

Kisses were layed down the slender neck as Mei's head tilted back in pleasure.

Starting slow, Yuzu gave several loving strokes to the panties, slowly increasing her speed.

"Yuzu... P-Please," Mei's voice came high pitched as she ground her hips to the same rhythm as the fingers in her shorts.

Seeing as Mei had already soaked through her underwear, Yuzu decided to continue on this way.

Her fingers quickly found the desperate clit and quickly increased their rubbing pace. Every moment Mei's hips growing wilder as she involuntary road in into the movements.

Keeping her lips busy on Mei's neck and gently giving ministrations to the solid nipple, it wasn't long before Yuzu was putting all her focus into letting Mei ride out her orgasm as it washed through her.

Increasing her pace a final time, Yuzu could only listen in satisfaction as Mei gave a final moan of her name.

"Mhnmmmmm!... Yuzu," Mei practically cried out as she tried to steady her hips as the blonde behind her gave a few more victory strokes before removing her hand from the shorts, and making her way up her stomach again.

Yuzu's hand gently made it's way over the panting hot skin before meeting the initiator of all this and giving it a soft sqeeze between her fingers.

A few last kisses to her neck and Yuzu moved her head back to let Mei relax into the pillows, her hands to just lightly skim the underside of Mei's breasts.

"I knew you wouldn't be able to resist me," Barely out of breath at all, Yuzu smiled as Mei gave a faint moan, trying to regain at least a fracrion of energy.

Soon Yuzu had one arm under Mei's head and one laced back over her waist, and Mei finally had it in her to speak.

"Do you mind tonight if I jus-" Mei didn't even finish her sentence before Yuzu gave a kiss to the back of her neck.

"Of course I don't..." Giving a long-standing kiss to Mei's cheek, Yuzu closed her eyes as she soothed Mei's stomach with her fingertips.

"... Just try and get some rest,"

Mei felt the butterflies in her stomach blossom at the blonde's words, a feeling she only got when she was with Yuzu coursed through her bones.

Putting up with her mood, cooking dinner, giving an hour long massage, satisfying Mei's desires and then putting Mei's sleep before her own wants. Yuzu was more than Mei felt she deserved.

Not content with the current set up, Mei turned in Yuzu's touch and after tucking her head into it's spot on her girlfriends chest, wrapped her arms and entangled her legs around the blonde. Holding on as if she was never going to let go.

"I love you," Mei said, muffled as it was in the blonde's shirt, she heard it and it only made her hold Mei closer.

"I know," It was happy and wholesome when Yuzu spoke, as if nothing could have made the moment any better for the two.

 **Okay guys so that's it for this chapter, I love hearing what you think so let me know**.

 **Apologies for revisiting the whole Mei hitting Yuzu, but I felt like the quick apology that happened in the previous chapters didn't quite show how bad Mei really felt about the whole thing. So I hope this clears that up a little more.**

 **Hope you enjoyed it:)**


	38. Confrontation

**Hi guys thanks for reading this chapter, I'm not sure if I have mentioned it before, but I thought I would say it now for clarity in this chapter. In this story I have imagined Ume as an architect, or at least some sort of building site manager.** I **hinted at it in my 'little Yuzu' chapter, but I thought I would clear that up in case anyone was wondering.** **Anyway, I hope you enjoy the read.**

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"You know Mei, I really like you like this. Maybe we should fall out more often," Yuzu hummed from her place by Mei, head resting on the taller's shoulder as they both spent a few extra moments in bed.

The look of shock and confusion on Mei's face told Yuzu that she didn't quite grasp that she was joking.

"Why would you want us arguing again? I don't understand what you gain from being miserable and fighting with m-" Mei spoke up before Yuzu could explain that she was only kidding, her voice hurt though the confusion and concern was still there.

"Mei I was kidding," Yuzu laughed as she smiled up to her girlfriend who's expression turned into a scowl.

A squeeze to Mei's hand before placing a kiss on her knuckles and Yuzu continued.

"I just mean you are just being really affectionate with me since we made up, and I guess it's just making me really happy." Yuzu gave a beeming smile to Mei before resting her head back on the girl's shoulder.

It took a moment, but Yuzu eventually got a response in a voice that came loving.

"Are you normally unsatisfied with the amount of affection I give you," Mei asked, her tone keeping some of the concern as she wondered if her lack of affection sometimes affected the blonde.

"Of course not, I love you just the way you are. I know that you really missed me even if we weren't ya know physically apart, and that is why you are being like this. And it'll probably die out and go back to normal soon, so I'm gonna make the most of it," Yuzu smiled as she spoke, not thinking that her comment would lead the conversation this way but happy none the less.

"I did miss you, but that is not the reason for my affection." Mei said casually, not realising the suspension she was keeping Yuzu waiting in, Mei began to let her thoughts wonder.

Without the continuation she wanted, Yuzu gave Mei a few moments before she squeezed her hand and was forced to ask for the real reason. After all, there couldn't be much more of a reason could there?

"Well, what's the reason then?"

Blinking at the curiousity filled words, Mei thought about her answer before she spoke.

Cheeks going slightly red Mei answered honestly to the girl beside her.

"I missed you yes, I missed not being able to wake up in the morning and talk with you, or ask how your day had been; I missed not being able to look at you, hold you and kiss you; I missed your company, but all those things could happen at any time or because of any reason. I miss you when I spend time at Grandfather's or if you spend a night at Harumi's, but this was a different type of _missing._ " Taking a moment to steady her breath, Mei gave Yuzu a swift look but decided if she was going to get this all out she had to look elsewhere.

"I got a glimpse of what my life would be like if you left me. The fear, the loneliness, constantly feeling dead inside as if my entire being had been ripped apart and no matter what I did I couldn't find those pieces... Feeling that and knowing that my life would be like that if you weren't in it, made me see what I didn't before: How much I really love you, how much I _need_ you. The feeling of contentment and joy I get when I'm with you, I know I would never be able to feel with any other person. And when you look at me and you smile so brightly and full of love, I see that it's all for me. How I couldn't be any luckier than I am to have someone as brilliant as you as my partner."

Yuzu was stunned at the emotional message she was recieving at the moment, Mei seemed so sure of her words that it had Yuzu stuck in silence.

"What I'm trying to say is, this past week has made me see what life would be without you and I don't like it at all. I never want to feel as far away from you as I did last week ever again. I _need_ you, and when I see you I just want to be with you and make sure I never let go. I'm finished taking you for granted, now I want to show you that you mean more to me than anything else in this world." Finished her speech, Mei glanced down to Yuzu who had tears pouring from her eyes and was just waiting for Mei to finish so she could push her lips to Mei's.

Slow and yet a little forceful, Yuzu pushed herself up to Mei. "...I love you so much, I would never be able to leave you Mei." Yuzu finally said after a moment of looking into the glistening amethyst orbs, finding she didn't know what else she could say that could follow such a statement.

"You don't have to worry about loosing me, I'm afraid you are stuck with me for life!" Yuzu smiled as she sat upon Mei's thighs and wrapped the younger girl in a bone crushing hug.

After a few long moments and tight squeezes later Yuzu pulled back, a large grin on her face as she looked into Mei's watering eyes.

"When did you become such a little romantic?" Yuzu asked, smiling brighter as a blush spread across the raven's cheek, standing out against her pale complection.

Mei couldn't bring herself to answer, full of embarrassment she was forced to look away from the prying eyes of the blonde.

However Yuzu refused to let Mei have her way. Giving a small chuckle she cupped Mei's face in her palm and turned the pink cheeks to face her once again.

"It's not a bad thing Mei. Five years ago you wouldn't even tell me if you were upset about something, now you can say all that to me. It's amazing!" Leaning down and giving a soft peck to Mei, Yuzu thought in awe.

"Can you really believe that we've known each other for five years!" Exclaiming in an over dramatic voice, Yuzu raised her hands to the air as if it was a huge achievement.

"I've had to put up with you for that long, I very much believe it." Mei said, returning to her usual monotone voice. Not expecting the pout she got in response.

Grumbling under her breath Yuzu lifted herself off Mei and sat on the edge of the bed. Feeling as though she couldn't be upset because of the declaration of love the younger girl had just made, but flicking her tongue trying to get the bitter taste out of her mouth at Mei's most recent statement.

It was clear that Mei hadn't meant it as a joke, and of that Yuzu was certain. Huffing once more before she jumped from the bed and made her way to the closet.

"You don't have to be so mean Mei," Speaking in a slightly whining tone to take the sharpness from her words, Yuzu grabbed some jeans and a shirt along with fresh underwear as she headed to the door.

"I'm going for a shower, kay?" Even if it was asked as a question, Yuzu was already prepared to leave the room and begin her day; Without an argument happening.

"Yuzu wait... What did I say?" Mei's voice came quiet and tentative. Stopping at the almost scared voice, Yuzu turned around to see Mei sitting up in bed, a confused worried look in her brow.

 _She doesn't even know she said anything upsetting_... Giving a somewhat sad smile, Yuzu made her way back over to Mei and placed a kiss to her forehead. She definitely couldn't be mad when Mei wasn't even aware she had said something that had hurt her.

Yuzu could tell that she was genuine about what she had said, however, she hadn't meant it as a bad thing. Most likely just stating her mind on the blonde's over-excitable, emotional character.

"Nothings the matter. Forget about it, we need to get ready for class." After lingering her head against Mei's for a moment more, Yuzu stood up and after letting her fingers move from cupping the soft cheek to run down her jaw, Yuzu turned to leave.

Leaving the door a crack open Yuzu made her way down the hall, footsteps quiet on the hardwood floor.

Mei, however, remained on the bed a pensive look on her face as she tried to understand what had made the flip in the blonde's attitude. She hadn't said anything mean or hurtful to her girlfriend, she had just poured her heart out to her; Something Mei found a great deal of struggle doing.

Time ticked by and soon Mei found sitting in the bed more frustrating than not being able to figure out what she had done wrong.

A stern look in her eye, Mei pulled her legs from the bed and marched out of the room after her girlfriend, who was by this point already in the shower.

Not bothering to knock on the door, Mei stepped inside and met the wave of steam as it escaped to the hall.

The soft singing voice she heard from outside the door instantly stopped as she barged in. Even in her quest to figure out what she had done wrong, Mei still found time to appreciate her girlfriend's singing.

Since Yuzu had begun playing again Mei had noticed a slight improvement in the girl's pitch. So now, even if her voice was far from perfect, Mei didn't mind listening to Yuzu sing. She rather enjoyed the soft, gentle yet wildly energetic voice of her lover.

Entering the room Mei watched as Yuzu spun around to face her, shocked but relieved to see her girlfriend standing there. Though not having time to speak as Mei looked through the foggy glass to Yuzu who was confused as ever, and trying to discreetly cover herself.

"What did I say that you are upset about? I've thought about it and I didn't say anything intentionally, and anything I did say I can't see how it would upset you." Mei stood not taking her eyes off Yuzu's.

Mei heard a sigh from the blonde before she wiped a small circle in the glass so she could see Mei properly.

"Do you really have to ask that while I'm in the shower?" Yuzu gave a weary lopsided grin but got no response from Mei. Well aside from a tight-lipped frown that told her she wasn't leaving.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Mei, okay? Now would you ya know... leave?" Embarrassed was all Yuzu was, sure they had seen each other naked dozens of times, but that didn't mean that she didn't become nervous when it happened. Because she most definitely did.

Her heart hammered against her chest harder every second longer Mei stared at her, cheeks were pink and her hands were folded over her most private parts.

The eye contact was broken and Mei pulled off her shirt that she had only just put on when she woke up, along with her shorts and underwear which were left at her feet. Sliding the glass door open all the way, Mei stepped inside and after taking a second to adjust to the burning hot water, focused on Yuzu who was now beet red.

Yuzu was captivated, Mei's body was just too much to take in all at once. Her eyes running up and down Mei's form, not aware of how close she was getting until she felt two hands push her against the tile wall and lips land on her neck.

"I asked you a question and I expect an honest answer." Mei's voice came out firm and hard, but she knew it had Yuzu quaking at the knees. After all, Yuzu was not one to deny a little domination now and again.

Her short nails scraped up the length of the blonde's thigh as teeth dragged down her neck and along her shoulder.

"Tell me the truth," Mei practically growled into the blonde's pink hot ear, her hands both now holding her hips firmly in place. Fingers pressed firmly into the soft skin.

"M-Mei..." Trying not to let herself sink into the needing growing in her abdomen, Yuzu quickly gave into Mei's question.

"It-it just hurt a little when you said 'you had to put up with me' in the bedroom. I know you didn't mean anything bad by it, but it just sorta hurt a little." Nervous as it came, Mei listened to every word and didn't make an advancement until Yuzu had finished speaking.

"I did not mean it in that way, I enjoy your company. I was only referring to your... outgoing personality." Mei said softly to Yuzu, dropping the sex appeal to comfort her girlfriend.

Refusing to let her embarrassment rule her, Yuzu pulled Mei into a tight embrace; Tingling as all her skin connected with Mei's.

"I know, that's why I'm not upset with you," Yuzu said, placing a kiss to the nape of Mei's neck when she was finished.

"So... Instead of moping around in here, how about we have some amazing shower s-sex?" Yuzu began so, so confident, truly believing she had the will power to get it all out smoothly. But she stumbled over the last word as Mei looked her up and down. Still acting like an immature teenager afraid to say the word aloud.

"No thank you," Mei's reply came swiftly, and after removing herself from the blonde, quickly rung the water from her hair. Mei stepped out the shower and without another word, wrapped a towel around herself, chucked her clothes into the hamper and left the room.

A few delayed seconds before Yuzu registered that she had just been left alone. "MEI THAT'S NOT FAIR!" Shouting at the top of her lungs from the shower, Yuzu could only hope that it rang down the hall and reached Mei's ears.

Mei was sitting at the table nursing a hot mug of coffee when Yuzu stomped into the room, hands on her hips as she looked over Mei. Interests piqued at the unusual entrance, Mei looked up to her girlfriend who had her lip pouted out as far as it could go.

Raising her eyebrow in question, Mei gave a look of expectation, rolling her eyes just a little at Yuzu's puffed out cheeks.

"How many time are you gonna say no? Especially after teasing me last night and then again in the shower!" Pouting, even more, Yuzu puffed out her chest.

It was safe to say Mei wasn't expecting that question as her mouth hung agape as the information settled in.

Sitting back with a small quirk to her lip, Mei motioned for Yuzu to sit down; Which she did, only she sat down on the table instead of the seat Mei was showing her to.

Rolling her eyes again at Yuzu's dramaticness, Mei spoke up.

"To tease means to provoke or make fun of someone in a playful way, that is not what happened last night. I was clear about what I wanted and there was no teasing, well not on my part anyway. In the shower, I was not aware I was being playful, I was going more for dominance. Maybe I'll have to practice that one," Giving a cocky grin Mei waited for what Yuzu's reply would be, now she was the one stunned and shy of an answer.

Cheeks burned brighter at Mei's words. "Well, that's not what I was asking..." Glancing away from Mei before looking back to her Yuzu continued, "I wouldn't mind that anyway." A blush spreading down her neck, Yuzu risked the advancement.

"I was merely playing Yuzu, why is sex all you think about?" Humming slightly as she asked the question, Mei sat back in her chair and crossed her legs, confident she had put a stop to the blonde's questions.

"Because I'm twenty-one, constantly around your sexy ass body and haven't slept with you in ageesss! Besides, it seemed to be all over your mind last night and you got to satisfy yourself." It came so boldly it took Mei a moment to try and cool the heat in her cheeks.

"Yu-Yuzu! Don't... don't, I didn't- stop it." Mei stuttered and was forced to look away and tell Yuzu off when she continued to stare at Mei expectantly.

"No. I want an answer," Yuzu stood her ground, not knowing where she was getting all her confidence from. Her tone came out a lot harsher than she had intended and mentally scolded herself for it.

Gathering herself and her usual cold demeanour, Mei straightened up in her seat, gripping her cup as she tried to keep her tongue on a tight leash.

"Do not order me around, I will not be forced into giving an answer to such an inappropriate question. If you are so desperate go and relieve yourself, don't come in here and demand something so improper." Mei lectured, dipping into her student council voice as she narrowed her eyes. Even if it was Yuzu who she loved infinitely, something was struck inside Mei when Yuzu took such a tone with her. Her entire highschool life no one would dare speak down to her like that, and even if Yuzu was a special exception in her life that didn't mean she liked being told what to do.

Mei watched as Yuzu's cheeks grew red in frustration, opening her mouth several times to speak but stopping herself every time. She didn't want to say anything she would regret over something like this.

 _Did she really just tell me to go and fucking masturbate? What the fuck!?_ Yuzu's mind ran in circles over what Mei had just said and her change in tone. Noting how her playfulness changed as soon as she became perhaps a little too demanding.

"Hmph, nevermind forget I mentioned anything at all." Tugging her arms down to her sides Yuzu removed herself from the table. Yuzu was aware she had pushed it, but that didn't mean she liked what Mei had said. Maybe she had taken the wrong approach on the subject, but Yuzu absolutely refused to have another heated argument and so gave in.

"Yuzu... Sorry I didn't mean that, I just don't like being told what to do... I'm sorry you are feeling a little... unsatisfied by me, but if you could just wait a little bit?" Mei apologised, swallowing her pride as she hoped Yuzu would forgive her sudden attitude.

"Wait for what Mei?" Confusion and worry taking over, Yuzu sat down across from Mei. A soft smile on her face as she reached her arm across the table to take hold of Mei's hand.

"I'm not sure..." The reply came so quietly that Yuzu had to strain to hear it. Mei's eyes focused on her cup as she gave the unclear answer to her girlfriend, feeling multiple emotions at the moment.

"Mei?"

"I guess I'm just tired, it has been quite the week for both of us and I guess I'm still getting settled back into our routine." Mei gave a warm smile to Yuzu who returned it in full.

"You sure? If you don't want to sleep with me or aren't comfortable with it just yet because somethings are still playing on your mind that's okay. I know I hurt you pretty bad and if you need more time to come to terms with things, I don't want to push you into anything." Yuzu asked, wondering if there was more to Mei's story or not.

However, she got a shake of the head in response along with a grateful smile.

"I understand why you would think that, but do not worry as I said I am just tired at the moment. If you do need to... feel _that_ then you can just assist yourself you know? I know some people don't approve of their partners doing that, but I don't have any objections to you doing it." Mei gave an embarrassed smile to Yuzu who flushed pink at the suggestion.

Sure, she maybe under the radar did that, but she didn't want Mei knowing about it. Especially not if Meiknew _when_ she was doing it.

"H-how about we just get ready for class?" Stumbling slightly, the blonde got from the table.

Mei could only laugh at the olders embarrassment.

"Before you go, Mother said she has been asked to come and look at a building site this afternoon not far from here, so I offered her around for lunch. You have class from twelve until three today so you won't see her, but I thought I would let you know anyway." Mei spoke up as she remembered the conversation she had had with Ume during their visit.

"Oh, okay just make sure you say hi for me then?" Yuzu smiled, and when Mei nodded she headed back to the bedroom to get changed out of her pyjamas she had chucked back on in her rage of finding Mei.

Walking into the bedroom, Mei noticed Yuzu putting her book bag on her shoulder once she saw Mei getting her school things ready to leave.

"It's only half nine, where are you going?" Mei asked as she put her own bag over her shoulder, walking towards the door once she picked up her phone.

"Well since I'm not going to see you until tonight and even then we are going out so I won't have you all to myself, then I'll be away a lot on the weekend with work, I thought I would walk you to your class and then spend some time in the library until my class starts." Yuzu smiled to Mei and tapped her bag closed, emphasising her decision.

"As thoughtful as that is, you don't need to spend your day there just so I can see you for an extra twenty minutes. After all, I'll be able to see you in the mornings and I'll wait up at night to see you so it really is no problem." Mei stated. She wanted Yuzu to come with her and motioned for Yuzu to leave the bedroom with her, the decline was purely for show and politeness.

"You know that I am still gonna come so there is no point wasting your breath, but you already knew that right?" Giving a grin to Mei, Yuzu strutted out the bedroom and waited for Mei at the front door.

A smile grew on Mei's lips at Yuzu's accusation, closing and locking the front door she turned to Yuzu and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. "Of course,"

Yuzu gave a dopey silly grin back to her girlfriend before running down the stairs and clasping onto her hand; One that Mei gripped tightly the moment she felt the blonde's overly hot fingers brush against the back of her hand.

"Thank you for accompanying me," Mei gave the somewhat formal thanks as they left the building.

"Any time!" Yuzu grinned as she tried and failed to swing their hands between them.

The walk to campus was relatively quiet with few words being spoken, however, it was far from unhappy. Both walked in content silence, neither felt the need to break it as it was a comfort just to feel the other's presence.

When they finally reached the doors of Mei's lecture hall, Yuzu frowned as she looked at her phone.

"Looks like we won't have any time to talk, your class is starting in less than five minutes." Giving a pout, Yuzu released her girlfriend's hand and placed a kiss on her cheek.

"So have a good lesson and I'll see you when I get home, I love you." Yuzu gave a warm smile that made butterflies appear in Mei's chest, giving a final peck to her girlfriend before she stepped away.

Mei opened her mouth to speak however nothing came out as she opted for just nodding her head. Surprising the blonde when she felt two slender arms wrap around her neck and bring her into a tight embrace. Suddenly Mei didn't care who saw her, all she wanted was to show Yuzu how much she meant.

It was brief but meaningful as Mei gave a final squeeze, letting go she placed a slow kiss to her girlfriend's lips and whispered in her ear.

"I love you too." And with those few words said, she turned towards her class and walked in. It didn't take long for Mei to notice a pair of piercing blue eyes burning into her as she made her way into the room of students.

Of course, this bitch was watching her, the powerful nearly challenging stare she was giving Mei was enough to clarify that Mei's silent war with Jasmine was far from over. But nothing, nothing, could make Mei back down, and so she glowered back all the way to her seat before she sat down with her back to the brunette.

A glance back to the door and she saw Yuzu giving her a short wave goodbye, her cheeks still slightly pink and a huge grin on her face. An automatic smile made it's way onto Mei's lips as she raised her hand and gave a discrete wave back before her professor walked in, ushering Yuzu from the door.

Mei couldn't imagine herself feeling happier than she did at seeing Yuzu smiling so brightly at her. Nothing... No one... would come between her and Yuzu again.

Mei wouldn't let it.

Mei refused to let it happen.

And so class ended, and just as Mei had predicted she was approached by the dark-haired girl. A sour look on her face as she closed in on Mei who was still packing up her things.

"Jasmine?" Mei smiled at the girl. She had no doubt about what the girl wanted to talk to her about, but she was having such a good day she just couldn't bring herself to feel infuriated at Jasmine's persistence. After all, Yuzu had just hugged, kissed and waved _her_ goodbye, not Jasmine. Mei had absolutely no question in her mind that this girl had a minute chance of getting anywhere with Yuzu. And that conveyed through the innocent smile she was giving the brunette as she came to a stop in front of her.

"I see everything worked out with you and Yuzu? I could only assume that something had happened when you left for the weekend, glad to see you two are on good terms again." It came as sincere as Mei's smile had, sitting on the desk next to Mei as she narrowed her eyes.

 _Why the fuck does she know we had a falling out and that I was away?_

"It's good to see that you are still sticking your nose where it doesn't belong. Yuzu and I are better than we have been in a long time, you really don't stand a chance against me, you know that right?" Mei said as she stood up, a sting in her voice.

Mei took the moment of silence from the taller girl as a sign to continue, squaring up to the girl Mei brought herself as close as she could.

"Yuzu has made it crystal clear that she wants nothing more than a friendship with you. Your attempts at getting her attention have had no effect on her, she is mine and has no intention of leaving me for... _this_." Mei said the last part as she gestured up and down the girl's body, emphasising her point.

Mei watched as the girl's eyes narrowed again, though she didn't completely give in to Mei.

Stepping backwards Jasmine gave a snappy chuckle, "She just doesn't know what she's missing out on yet. Trust me when I say that once she sees what's under these clothes, and how _I_ can make her feel..." Stepping forward, Jasmine pointed a finger against Mei's chest.

"... She'll be leaving your sorry ass faster than you ever thought possible." Flicking her finger to Mei's chin, Jasmine gave her a final smile before she walked away. Leaving Mei with puffed cheeks and a scowl that had students moving away from her as she gripped her book tightly in her hand.

Now, now she felt infuriated at the girl's persistence. Yuzu would be starting her class any minute now, but that didn't mean she couldn't still text her.

'Yuzu I apologise for messaging you while you are no doubt in class, however, I have something to tell you.

No matter what, don't make any plans for the weekend, okay?'

Mei typed the message and sent it before she even had time to check it for errors, cursing herself when she read over it for letting the girl get under her skin...again. Now she was letting it affect Yuzu as well. It was already half eleven, Mei had to get back to their house so she would be there in time for their mother arriving. She didn't have time to give in to Jasmine's taunts.

Taking several deep breaths, Mei tried to calm herself down. Everything Jasmine had said was just to make her feel inferior, no matter what she said, it all came down to Yuzu. And she had made it perfectly clear that she only wanted Mei.

A chime came through her phone taking her attention away from her thoughts.

'Don't worry about it, but I'm gonna be working all weekend so why would I make plans? xxx'

Mei sighed when she read the message, why didn't she think about that?

'Is everything alright? xx'

The second text came through and Mei could only sigh in disappointment in herself.

'Everything is fine, sorry I forgot you were going to be working. Focus on your class, I'll see you when you get home. x' Mei let her phone fall into her pocket and after placing the last book in her bag began walking out of the hall.

She got a quick response from the blonde, one that made it impossible for her not to smile.

'Okay if you say so, does this have something to do with the text I just got from Jasmine asking me out this weekend? Cuz I told her I couldn't cuz I would be spending all my free time with you, if it is, remember that I love you and only you! xxx'

It was obvious that Yuzu knew something had happened to receive both texts at the same time, but Mei was more than satisfied with the reply she got.

'It may have, thank you. I love you too. x' Mei sent her reply and made her way down the hall. Smiling all the way, but still worried about what her opponent may have been planning.

It was just after twelve when Mei finally got home, her mind cleared after Yuzu had sent her half a dozen more messages about loving her. Ume said she got off at half twelve until half one for her lunch and so Mei expected her to be here not long after she finished.

Placing her bag in their room before entering the kitchen to prepare something for lunch. She was not in a rush for time, but she wanted to cook her mother something substantial. Well, that and she needed the extra time to prepare food and take extra caution when cooking it, for she did have a bad habit of burning food to the bottom of pans. Her and the blonde had thrown out many at her expense.

Mei thought a small curry would be suitable and so for the next half an hour Mei stood in the kitchen making lunch for her and her mother, being sure to leave a little for Yuzu as well. It was not long before there was a knock at the door and she was greeted with her mother's smiling face when she opened the door.

"Mei!" Wrapping Mei in a quick hug Ume smiled when Mei awkwardly returned the gesture before ushering her inside.

"Hello mother, how was work?" Mei asked as Ume took a seat at the dining table, looking around the small house in amazement.

"It's been great this morning. Tell me, Mei, how on earth do you manage to keep the apartment this clean and organized living with Yuzu? There is not a thing out of place here" Ume said as she glanced a second longer at the place. Though as Mei looked around the house she had a very different opinion.

There was several of Yuzu's magazines spread over the coffee table when they were supposed to be in a neat pile; A few pieces of clutter lined the kitchen worktops, of which belonged to Yuzu as well; The whole house needed hovered along with several pieces of clothes on the couch which Mei could have sworn she'd asked Yuzu to move earlier.

"I would have to disagree with your mother, Yuzu is always creating these little piles of random things over the house. I swear I don't even know where she gets half of it, and it is not an easy task trying to keep on top of them." Mei gave a small laugh as she knowingly eyed one of the many piles next to her as she stood in the kitchen. The small pile holding a pair of keys; pens; elastic bands; some loose strands of string; the odd piece if mismatching jewellery and even small sweets.

"Ah she's always done that, I don't know how she gets her hands on half of the stuff I've found over the years." Laughing for a moment at the memory, Ume then smiled softly at Mei as she saw the small warm smile she wore while looking at the small pile of mess of the countertop.

"I made a curry for lunch I hope you like it, Yuzu wasn't here to help so I can't speak for its flavour-" Mei said but she was cut off as Ume spoke up.

"I'm sure it'll be lovely Mei, thank you very much." Ume gave another smile as she stopped Mei from putting herself down, even if it did taste completely disgusting Ume would smile and eat it all.

Mei gave a nod before bringing over two plates and sitting down to eat with her mother.

It was a nice change of pace for the raven-haired girl, the small talk they shared was one that Mei found herself missing.

It wasn't long before they were both finished and Mei had made tea for them, and continued the casual conversation until Ume would soon have to leave for work again.

"Mei is everything alright, you seem a little distracted?" Ume asked as she watched Mei come back to the conversation from the daydream she had been in for the past few minutes.

"If you need to talk I'm always here," Ume reassured as she saw Mei look down at her hands in consideration.

It took a long moment for Mei to pluck up her courage, but Ume was her mother, she shouldn't feel awkward trying to ask her about what was on her mind. But then again Yuzu was her daughter and Mei didn't think Ume would want to have _the talk_ with Mei about her daughter.

"I don't want to make you uncomfortable. It's a sensitive subject that I wouldn't feel comfortable talking to my father or grandfather about, I see you as my mother but I'm not exactly sure if I should ask you about it or not." Mei said, her cheeks gaining the tiniest blush, she couldn't even imagine asking Sho about Yuzu.

"Mei, I am your mother and you can talk to me about anything you need advice on. You don't need to be so nervous about it when you're ready you can ask me anything." Mei nodded slowly as Ume spoke.

"...Even if it's about Yuzu?" Mei asked quietly, she still wasn't sure if Ume was the right person to ask about her troubles, but then again who else would she ask?

"About Yuzu?" Ume echoed, confusion lacing her brow until she saw the blush on Mei's cheeks and it finally clicked for her.

"Ohh, that... If you need to talk to me about that then you can if you are comfortable with it Mei." Ume stuttered slightly but matured when she realised how difficult it must have been for Mei to come to her about this.

Ume had had the talk with Yuzu before, but she had never spoken about this sort of thing with Mei, and she didn't think anyone in Mei's life would have instead. Meaning any questions she had about the subject she had either answered herself or were never answered at all.

"Really?" Mei's replied, shock evident on her face as she clearly hadn't expected Ume to be so open to her about this.

"Of course, you are my daughter as much as Yuzu is and as much as I may regret this in the future if you need to talk to someone that's what I'm here for. Though I have to say I don't want any descriptive details, she is my daughter after all." Ume gave the nervous laugh, she still had to look at her biological daughter and she did not really want to know what went on in her love life.

"Very well," Mei confirmed she understood but stayed quite a moment longer as she tried to say what she was thinking about.

"I'm worried that I can't... please her... how she wants me to..." Mei said in almost a whisper, embarrassment filling her cheeks as she risked looking up to Ume.

"Mei I'm afraid I don't quite follow?" Ume said, she needed a little more detail if she was going to be of any assistance to her daughter.

"Well, it's been a while since we were... intimate... and we briefly discussed trying some things that _she_ was into, but we haven't done anything yet..." Mei said, not feeling brave enough to say her girlfriends name in the conversation.

"... She is _keen_ to try these things out but I'm not sure how I really feel about it. I don't want to disappoint her, but I just don't know if I would be comfortable doing it." Mei continued, she felt truly exposed with what she was saying. But she would be lying if she said she hadn't been putting off giving Yuzu what she wanted out of fear of disappointing her.

Ume took a few moments to take in the information, she understood why Mei felt she needed to talk to someone about it. If this had been Yuzu, Ume would have assumed she would have asked Harumi, but it wasn't as if Mei could ask Himeko about the situation and Ume didn't think Matsuri would be of much help.

"The one thing I would say is to talk to Yuzu about this Mei, she's the one who will be doing these activities with you so you need to make sure she is aware of how you feel."

"If you aren't comfortable doing something then don't, even if you think it will disappoint her. Don't do something or put yourself in a situation you aren't comfortable with, you come first in that situation. Yuzu can get over not trying something new, but it is not always so easy to forget the feeling of discomfort you might feel." Ume advised. Mei looked slightly confused at the answer she got.

"So I shouldn't do it, even if it is for Yuzu?" Mei asked now having to courage to look her mother in the eye.

"I'm not saying that Mei, no one can tell you what you should or shouldn't do, it is a completely personal thing. You won't know until you try, but what I'm saying is that you should never do something that you don't want to do just because your partner does. Okay?" Ume asked as she raised her brow slightly to make sure her point was given across properly.

"But what if I'm not comfortable with it and then I can't please her?" Mei asked quickly, slightly regretting what she said when she heard it aloud.

"Ehh well... you did it before these topics were talked about and I'm sure Yuzu would understand if you just did that instead... Just don't let yourself be pressured into anything okay Mei?" Ume said that last part with a tat of protectiveness in her voice. She didn't want Mei to be pressured into doing something that she wasn't comfortable with. Not that Ume thought her blonde daughter would purposely do that to Mei, but sometimes it isn't done on purpose.

"Okay, thank you, mother." Mei thanked as she thought over what the woman had said.

"No problem at all, but I really do need to go going out I'll be late for work." Ume apologised as she got up from the table and was followed to the door by Mei.

"Thank you for the advice mother, I'm sorry bothered you with it but I really appreciate it." Mei bowed as she said her thanks, but was brought up as Ume have a quick hug and kiss on the cheek.

"Don't be sorry Mei, just remember what I said. I have to go so I'll see you soon, love you." Ume smiled at Mei and got a similar reply before she watched her mother walk down the stairs.

Closing the door Mei let out a big sigh as she rested against the door frame, talking about this to Yuzu was not going to be as easy as Ume had made it out to be.

Standing properly Mei walked to the kitchen to start clearing up the dishes she had used, Yuzu would be home in a few hours and Mei could think about this then.

For now she would focus on her studies, and hopefully, get a decent amount of study done before her girlfriend came bursting in through the door.

"Mei I'm home!" Yuzu's shout came through the house as Mei listened to the front door swing open and the sound of feet running into the kitchen. Only half surprised when she felt two slender arms wrap around her shoulders and a kiss on her cheek, from her seat at the table.

"Did you miss me?!"

"Miss would be an exaggeration, it's only been a few hours," Mei said back as she brought her hand to Yuzu's arms and pulled them from her neck.

"Mei!" Yuzu whined as she let herself be pried from the shoulders. Leaning against the kitchen counter, hands on her hips.

"Well, then I guess I'll leave and come back later so you miss me." Yuzu said teasingly, picking up an elastic band and began fiddling with it.

"You'd be waiting too long. I made curry for lunch it wasn't the best and I'm positive I overcooked the rice because it feels like mush, but I left you some in case you wanted something until we went out later." Mei smiled at the playful furrow of the blonde's brow, continuing when she saw Yuzu's smile broaden at her words.

"It's in the fridge," Mei said and it was seconds before Yuzu was at the fridge and pulling the cling film off the plate.

"It looks great!" Yuzu grinned as she placed the plate in the microwave and waited for her meal to be ready.

"So do you wanna tell me what happened today?" Yuzu asked as she turned her back on the microwave, hoping Mei wouldn't keep pretending nothing had happened today.

"It wasn't anything important," Mei replied as she gathered her belongings from the table, organising them in an organised pile.

"Okay, so now you're lying to me," Yuzu said, pulling herself onto the countertop, swinging her legs gently.

"I'm not lying, it was a minor inconvenience nothing more." Mei lied as she grabbed her books and stood from the table.

"Hey, do you remember how we just had this huge falling out because we were lying?" Yuzu's sarcastic voice rung sweetly through the kitchen/ dining room, stopping Mei before she could make it down the hall.

Turning around Mei's eyes narrowed in frustration. "It was only you who was lying Yuzu. But if you are insistent on it, I had a brief conversation with Jasmine where we had a disagreement about something. I only messaged you because I had a momentary lapse of jealousy, but it no longer bothers me. So I'm not lying, and please don't try and use last week against me." Turning her back on Yuzu, Mei made her way to the bedroom.

Yuzu gave a nervous laugh, as Mei walked away. Not wanting to push in case of an argument and so let the subject float away from her mind. Leaving the happy go Yuzu to munch on her curry.

Mei dumped her books on her desk before meeting Yuzu in the kitchen again. Who was still sitting on the countertop now holding a plate of curry and stuffing her face.

"I need to talk to you." The change in tone had Yuzu whipping her head around to see Mei looking at her expectantly.

 _Shit that never means anything good, wtf did I do wrong? Is she still mad about this morning?_ _Shit shit shit shit._

"S-Sure Mei, what about?" Slipping from the counter Yuzu placed her near-empty plate in the sink and made her way around to Mei. Searching for any sign of what was on the other's mind, but as usual, Mei gave no indication of her troubles, wearing her calm mask and in turn Yuzu in suspense.

"About sex,"

The words had Yuzu stumbling over her own feet as she watched Mei walk into the living room, unaware that Mei's heartbeat had risen just as much as her own had in the few seconds since the words had been spoken.

Fidgeting with her fingers as she made her way to sit on the armchair facing Mei, Yuzu gave a nervous smile.

"If this is about me throwing that hissy fit this morning you can totally forget about it, I didn't mean to push you or anything. So if you are gonna tell me off about that then you don't have to worry, you can take your time and I'll wait until then." Yuzu tried to give a smile, but the nervousness in her voice gave away any type of confidence she tried to show.

"It's not about this morning, but what we briefly discussed at mothers house..." Mei gave a somewhat reassuring smile to Yuzu but was only met with a confused expression as Yuzu tried to backtrack their conversations to the weekend. When more than a comfortable silence had gone by Mei spoke up, seeing as Yuzu had no recollection of what they were talking about.

"...What you wrote in your notebook, about your dream." As the words left her mouth Mei watched Yuzu's face redden.

"W-what about it?" The fidgeting of her fingers increased and Yuzu began to shift uncomfortably in her seat.

"Will you calm down? I'm not going to lecture you or anything, I''m trying to talk to you about it." Mei said, her slightly raised voice contradicting her words. Yuzu quickly nodded her head and sat up straight.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to raise my voice but it irritates me when you fidget for no reason... Anyway, what I wanted to say was..." Mei came to a slow stop as she tried to think of what she was trying to say. She didn't know what she was supposed to say, but Yuzu was waiting expectantly for her to continue.

"... I don't know if I'm ready to try that sort of thing, or if I'll be comfortable doing it." Mei said, now the one holding the nervous voice. But she didn't get the response she thought she would, well she didn't know what kind of response she thought she was going to get. Yuzu stood up and came to sit beside Mei, a large blush on her cheeks.

"Okay, that's not a problem. We won't do anything you're not comfortable with Mei, is this why you haven't wanted to ya know... do it?" Yuzu said as she came to sit next to Mei, a comforting look in her eye as Mei looked up from her hands.

"You're okay with not doing those things? But you said you wanted to?"

"I did, but I want you more than that, besides, you can make me feel good without all that stuff. We don't have to and I don't expect you to if you are worried about it." Yuzu smiled to Mei and hoped that she hadn't come across to strongly with her desires the other night, the last thing she wanted to do was pressure Mei into something like that.

"You don't need to worry about it at all, okay? If you ever want to try it out and feel ready then tell me and we can, but not until then. And if it never happens it never will and I'm completely okay with that. So you can stop worrying about it," By now Yuzu was leaned in close to Mei, her hand on the girl's cheek to stop her from looking away. Sealing her confirmation with a gentle kiss on Mei's lips, and it took a few moments but the younger returned the embrace before pulling away shortly afterwards.

"Thank you, Yuzu, for being understanding about it all." Mei gave a short bow of her head in appreciation, waiting a few moments while Yuzu searched for any lose stings of emotions before standing up.

"Well now that we have solved that, I am going to go back ot my studying for a few more hours, you should do the same. What time are we meeting Matsuri and Harumi at?" Mei asked as she brushed some crinkles from her skirt as if the conversation had never happened.

"Emm, umm... half six outside the restaurant." The sudden change in the subject had Yuzu stuck for words before she managed to retrieve the information Mei had asked for, jumping from the couch when she found it.

"We will have to leave here about quarter past to be there if we drive, so we have a couple of hours." Yuzu smiled as she followed Mei down the hall where she assumed Mei would resume her study, and so grabbed her book bag quickly.

"Very well, then we will both spend the next few hours studying," Mei said as she took her seat at the desk leaving Yuzu with the bed. The normal set up for the two.

"Sure thing, but Mei?" Yuzu said as she gently tossed her bag onto the bed and walked to stand behind her girlfriend who was already sitting in the chair, pencil in hand.

"Hmm?" Mei was still turning around when she was met with warm soft lips on hers. A hand travelled over her scalp and another her neck.

"Nothing, I just wanted to kiss you." Yuzu gave a wide grin as she pulled back to see Mei's flustered cheeks. Flopping over on the bed in happiness as Mei rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath but gave no lecture or ridicule for the act.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading guys, I know I've been a little slow with the updates and they have been shorter than my previous but I'm still actively writing and I hope you can put up with my writing schedule.**

 **If you liked the chapter I always like hearing what you think, so don't hesitate. And in the next chapter, we will have Matsuri having some fun...**


	39. Drugs and Love

"Do you know where we are eating?" Mei asked as she contemplated what she would wear. She had failed to ask where they would be eating, so how could she properly organise a suitable outfit?

"Um, I think it's a pub? I've never been before, but Matsuri wanted somewhere that would serve her. Don't worry though, we are still getting dinner. Emm, just wear something casual." Yuzu gave a nervous grin as she waited to be ridiculed for the pinkette's choice. However, she only got a sigh before Mei turned back to the wardrobe and picked up a neutral pale purple sweater and some loose-fitting jeans.

"Why is everything always about alcohol with her. Can't she go out for a meal without drinking?" Mei gave another sigh as she stripped out of her house clothes, temporarily delaying Yuzu's reply as her mind was preoccupied.

"Ehhh well that's just the way she is, besides a drink isn't that bad, it'd be nice to just relax and have fun." Yuzu said softly as she leaned back on her elbows, still following her girlfriend's movements as she put the last of her clothes on.

"And if we were to do that which one of us would drive home? It hardly seems fair that only one of us would be allowed to drink." Mei asked as she faced Yuzu while brushing out the final crease in her sweater.

Rising from the bed herself, Yuzu gave a nervous laugh while she scratched the back of her neck. "Oh sorry I didn't think about that, but if you did want to have a drink I don't mind. You deserve one after last week and what no doubt happened with you and Jasmine. Besides, even if we both drank we could just call a cab and I could go and get the car tomorrow morning after I walk you to school. I'll be crunching time a little so I'll have to just drive straight to work." Yuzu smiled as she offered the solution to their problem, happy with her outcome.

"Right, well we'll see when we get there, I appreciate the offer." Mei gave a brief smile to Yuzu, grateful for the offer but unsure if she should indulge in it. She didn't really want to make a habit of drinking whenever they went out, but she had had a long day and it would be nice to unwind slightly.

"I'll be waiting in the living room when you're ready." Mei said as she made her way to the door, "Try and not be too long please, I would like to be there on time." Adding on the note at the end before she left, leaving Yuzu with a dopey grin on her face as she muttered about not taking long at all.

A little over fifteen minutes had gone by when Yuzu eventually came down the hall. Denim shorts and a casual checkered shirt on. The dopey grin still on her face as she slipped into the room.

"Okay let's go!" Heading straight for the door, Yuzu only had to wait for a few moments before Mei was already outside and heading down the stairs.

Locking up the door as fast as possible, Yuzu ran down the stairs only just meeting Mei before she left out the apartment building. Jumping from the last step and wrapping her arms around the taller girls shoulders, Yuzu pulled herself close to Mei.

At the unforeseen contact Mei stumbled forwards, Yuzu, however, had learned from past mistakes and took her weight back by landing on her feet and pulling Mei against her. Now chest to chest Yuzu could only smile in adoration as Mei's cheeks grew pink.

Yuzu was leaning in before she realised what she was doing, it was just too tempting when Mei's eyes were sparkling when they looked into her own. It started slow, but soon the soft lips were in a passionate make out. Yuzu was forever thankful that no one had come in or out of the building at that moment, it would have been an awkward moment she would definitely be held accountable for.

But none of that happened and the blissful embrace was soon brought to an end as Yuzu pulled her lips away.

"I love you so much, Mei!" Smiling wildly, Yuzu gave a quick peck to her girlfriend's lips. Hands wrapping around her waist to keep her close.

"I'm just sooo glad that you're back and happy again! We are finally back to our normal lives and I'm just so happy." Yuzu smiled as she pulled her form from Mei and tugged her towards the door.

"As am I." Was all Mei replied, she didn't have time to say much more as she was dragged to the car and made to get in.

"I feel like its been ages since I've seen them, it's gonna be good to see them again." Tapping her fingers off the steering wheel as she spoke, Yuzu chatted. It had been almost two weeks since she had seen Harumi and more than that since she had seen Matsuri.

"It has been a while, however, I can't say I'm as excited as you are. Though I guess that is normal."

The drive was relatively slow with the nightly traffic, but soon they were both walking towards the restaurant.

"Yuzucchi!" Waving from the front of the restaurant was both Harumi and Matsuri, the latter a pout on her face, arms crossed.

Though Yuzu was more concerned with hugging her best friend to notice. Mei, however, instantly took note of the younger's attitude.

Walking up behind Yuzu who had run ahead to meet the couple, Mei gestured to Matsuri while looking at Harumi.

"What's wrong with her?" Coming to a halt next to her girlfriend Mei couldn't help the smirk at the snort the shortest girl made.

" _She_ is pissed off because I said she couldn't come over to my place today and then I was like five minutes late getting here." Harumi groaned as she gave a fleeting look to her girlfriend before looking back to her friends.

"Really, that seems like quite the pathetic thing to get mad about?" Mei spoke up, eyes suspicious as she studied the shorter girl for any other signs to her annoyance.

"Matsuri, stop being so petty, so what she was busy for a day lets just forget about it and enjoy our dinner." Yuzu offered her advise as she linked her arm with Harumi and gestured to the restaurant. Mei who was already at the door and ready to enter nodded in agreement.

"Yeah says you who is with your girlfriend all day every day." Sulking as she walked in behind the three girls, Matsuri snied and sat down next to her girlfriend in the booth opposite the couple.

"Me and Mei live together yous two don't, it's different." Yuzu laughed as she grinned and pulled on Mei's arm.

"Yeah well that's only-" Matsuri was cut off as a hand was slapped against her mouth, stopping her from talking and refused to let go until she had continued.

"Only because nothing, lets order before it gets too late!" Harumi jumped in, and only removed her hold when she felt small teeth begin to bite into the palm of her hand.

"Yeah sure, sure. Mei, what drink do you want I'll go up and order our drinks first?" Yuzu asked, rising from her seat at the table but was stopped as Matsuri got up first.

"Don't worry, I'll get them."

"Can you get me a rose wine?" Harumi was the first to speak, still rubbing her hand as she asked and got a nod in reply.

"I'll have the same, and get Yuzu a beer," Mei said and watched as Matsuri wandered away.

"You sure Mei? I don't mind just having a soft drink if you don't want to get a cab home." Yuzu asked as she peered around to see Mei's face.

"I'm sure," Mei gave a small smile before turning to face the table again. "So what's really going on with you two?" Raising her eyebrow slightly, Mei gave a small gesture in the direction Matsuri had just left in.

Harumi's eyes widened and her hands raised in defence. "What!? Nothing!... I just wanted some space today, Matsuri has been around every day this week and stayed most nights last week. I just needed a me-day." Harumi defended, cheeks only partially pink.

Mei gave an unconvinced grunt, while Yuzu peered forwards over the table to get closer to her friend.

"What how come? I thought you loved spending time with her, she is your girlfriend?" Eyes wide with curiosity as she tried to find out the details of her friend's relationship.

"I do, but there is only so much Matsuri I can take." Harumi continued as she leaned in closer to Yuzu, who had shuffled around the booth to be closer to her friends. Leaving Mei to sit by herself, unsatisfied with the gossip but listening all the same.

"She's been super clingy lately. Like every time I tell her she can't come over or if I ask her to go home she either gets upset and guilt trips me into letting her stay, or starts getting really bitchy and gives me a load of attitude. Literally, she starts having a go at me saying that I don't want her around."

"Yeah, but don't you wanna be around her all the time?"

"Not all day every day, honestly. The worst part is I feel terrible when she does get mad because I know she is just covering up that she's upset. But I can't be around her every day and all night all the time. I'm not like you guys, and I swear I feel like I'm living with her she's at my house so much." Running her hands over her face as she spoke, Harumi only stopped her complaints when her girlfriend returned to the table with a tray of drinks.

"Whatcha talking about?" Sitting back next to her girlfriend as she handed out everybody's drinks.

"Nothing important... thanks" Giving an awkward smile, Yuzu moved back around to Mei to even out the table.

"Here you go, and I'm sorry I called you bitch before I didn't mean it." Handing a glass of wine to the brunette, Matsuri placed a short kiss on the girl's cheeks.

"I know you didn't, forget about it okay?" Taking her girlfriend in a short kiss, Harumi smiled as she pulled her into a brief side hug and ruffled her hair. Her hair was slightly longer now, coming down to her shoulders. It made the once malicious teen look older and maturer, even for someone who had just dropped out of high school in her last year.

"Ah, I haven't had a beer in like two weeks," Yuzu gave a sigh of satisfaction as she slumped back into the booth, letting the chilled liquid slide down her throat.

"You sound like an alcoholic, if it's becoming some kind of issue I'll stop buying alcohol altogether," Mei spoke up as she eyed Yuzu and the beer in her hand.

"What, of course not Mei." Giving a bright grin as she gently pushed her shoulder against Mei's.

"Hmm this tastes a little different, did you definitely get my normal?" Looking up to Matsuri from her chair, Yuzu gestured to her pint.

"Yeah, probably just cuz you haven't had it in so long." Her reply was smooth yet Yuzu couldn't help but see the mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"So, how's life been for you two? Babies on the way?" A smirk made its way onto the pink girls face as she asked her question.

Mei let another sigh loose, _why is everyone so interested in babies?_

"Not that I'm aware of, what about you?" Before Yuzu could become her stuttering mess, Mei took a sip of her wine and waited for her reply. Her eyes intently watching the shorter girls. Matsuri was quiet for a moment before she took a side glance at Harumi.

Who's brow quickly furrowed, "Of course not. Definitely, absolutely under no circumstances will that be happening _any_ time soon." Harumi was serious as she spoke, surprising Matsuri for a moment until she sighed and flopped back against the leather seats.

"Guess that answers the question for you then?" Sipping on her gin, Matsuri twirled a piece of hair in her fingers as she watched the waiter approached the table.

"Hope you guy have had enough time to think about what you want, here she comes." Sitting up straight again, Matsuri smiled to the woman. Intentionally giving off the impression of maturity as she drew near.

Nearly twenty minutes later when the food was just starting to arrive all four were in amicable chatter, the happy atmosphere relaxing. Yuzu pulled at the collar of her button-up shirt, hoping to let some of the uncomfortable heat out of her shirt.

"Is anyone else feeling really hot?" Still running her finger over the edge of the shirt's material, Yuzu looked around the group who all shook their heads.

"Maybe you've had too many beers." Matsuri laughed as she pointed to the beer next to the blonde's food, taking a bite of one of her fries as she shuffled in place.

"I know I said it's been a while, but this is only my second beer." Yuzu said as she wiped her clammy hands over her thighs, what was this feeling?

It was subtle but definitely there, she could feel her cheeks burning. Not just her cheeks, her entire body felt like it was getting hotter and hotter by the minute. And her core, it was sending butterflies through her body none stop.

 _What the fuck is wrong with me? I've never gotten like this over a couple of beers, it's like I'm all hot n bothered but I've not done anything._

Thinking to herself for a while, before she looked over to the rest of the girls. Matsuri was currently explaining to Mei her reasons for wanting a computer set up at Harumi's house as well as her own, Harumi on the opposite side of the debate was giving a strong argument as to why she didn't want anything like that in her apartment. Mei although listening to the conversation, seemed bored and uninterested.

"My apartment is small enough as it is, I don't even have space to set up one of your elaborate computer desks. Besides even if I did say yes, which I'm not, whenever you are around you would just ignore me for your games." Taking a long sip of her wine as she repeated herself for what felt like the thousandth time, Harumi looked to Mei for some sort of back up. Surely the old student council president would see the logic and reason in her defence.

"Back me up here prez?"

Moving her gaze from her food as she dwelled on the question for a moment, Mei momentarily stopped eating while she answered.

"I really couldn't say. I don't see the point in spending all that money on another computer when you have one at home. It's not as if you are living with each other so it's not compulsory. If you would rather play a game than spend time with Harumi then go back to your own house for it, don't clutter up hers." Mei said, even if she didn't want to become part of the argument, she did have to say she sided with the blonde's best friend.

"For someone who couldn't say, you sure have a lot to say about it." Huffing at the two, Matsuri put a few more fries in her mouth as she turned completely to her girlfriend to try her again.

Mei jumped a little as she felt a hand on her side, slipping around her back to settle on the other side of her waist. Instantly looking around to see Yuzu shoulder to shoulder with her. The emerald eyes seemed slightly confused, but Mei didn't have time to dwell on that or complain at the closeness as a hand began making its way up her inner thigh. Stopping just before it made contact with her groin, returning to her outer leg. Now that she was paying attention, Mei felt the hand on her side rubbing up and down... On her bare skin.

"What on earth do you think you are doing!?" A hushed yet forceful whisper reached Yuzu's ears as Mei grabbed both of the hot hands and practically threw them off her.

 **Yuzu's POV**

 _Ah, I can't focus on their conversation, what on earth is wrong with me?_

There's a burning sensation in my stomach, it isn't sore but every time I look at Mei it intensifies... down there.

Glancing around the table, one by one I made my way past the arguing couple to my girlfriend. Mei looked so... _touchable_ right now. Her sweater clung to her breasts and came in at the waist, practically flaunting them at me who had twenty minutes ago thought nothing more of her girlfriend's outfit other than it looking cute.

I was moving before I had a chance to properly assess the situation, not that it would have done much good in this condition. My arm snaked around her, finally feeling her heat on my fingers gave me an unimaginable amount of relief as I finally felt what had been nagging at me for the past ten minutes. Yet it wasn't enough.

Mei looked straight at me, her eyes searching mine for a moment, I want more. I need more of her, I want to feel her lips, touch her everywhere.

Raising my hand to Mei's leg was the last string for me, there was no way I could keep myself to myself anymore.

 _Shit, am I horney? Why am I horney!? No, don't do that_ _!_

Having to force myself to stop just shy of her heat, I slowly moved back to lightly gripping the muscle of her leg. Acutely aware of the stare of disbelief I was getting from Mei, but I didn't care.

Skin, I want to feel her skin. And I did.

I have no idea where all this is coming from or why I felt such a need to be touched right there and then, but I couldn't stop it.

And Mei's blush was just too much, _she is so fucking cute._

"What on earth do you think you are doing!?"

 _Oh shit, she's pissed, but she still looks adorable when she mad. Her lips look really nice, I want to kiss her... now_.

I was leaning towards her quickly, _I_ didn't have time to react, nevermind Mei. Placing my hand on her cheek to stop her from completely pulling away, my lips finally made contact with Mei's. I couldn't stop myself, I had to have her I didn't even have a choice in the matter.

 **3rd person**

"Yuzu stop it now!" Pushing the blonde off her completely, Mei wiped her lips with the back of her hand before glaring at Yuzu.

"Well, that was a lovely little show,"

The young couple slowly turned around to see their friends, one an embarrassed blush on her cheeks the other an amused smirk.

"Stop it... Sorry about that," Warning her girlfriend a final time including a point of her finger, Mei looked back to their company and tried to continue as though nothing had happened. Even if the conversation was scarce now.

Yuzu held her head in embarrassment, what was she doing? How did she expect Mei to react to being touched and kissed in public?

"Ah, s-sorry!" Bowing at the table to her friends, Yuzu tried to focus on her food.

 _Maybe it was the alcohol? It has been a while since I've had one, plus Mei hasn't touched me in a while, maybe it's a combination?_

Cautiously moving back around to sit at Mei's side, Yuzu didn't even get close enough for their arms to brush before Mei had turned with a glare in her direction.

Bringing her hands up onto the table in plain sight, Yuzu moved closer before turning to Mei.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what's wrong with me. I just feel really, really hot... I need you." At some point in her sentence, her voice had turned husky and wanting. After a swift glance at the other couple to make sure they were still preoccupied with their argument to notice, Yuzu leaned in so her lips where brushing Mei's ear, not overly surprised to find it already hot and pink.

"Don't you want me to touch you... lick you and most importantly... to fuck you?" Every pause was a heavy breath on Mei's already burning ear, with her last words and scraping her teeth on the shell of her girlfriends ear a low, unintentional moan escaped Mei's lips. The noise was like adding kindling to a small flame, instantly making it grow and the burning became stronger inside Yuzu. So she did it again, kissing the lobe of Mei's ear and just the top of her neck, sucking until she heard that sound again.

Mei had her eyes scrunched shut, there was no doubt a blush was spread across her cheeks and she could do nothing about it. Her fingers gripped at the fabric of her jeans, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip. God how she wanted to turn around and shove the blonde off her, scream at her for being so inappropriate and yet she couldn't move. Her body was frozen under the blonde's touch

"Ehh, Yuzucchi?" Harumi's voice seemed to appear out of nowhere, pulling Yuzu from the depths of her pleasure and back to reality. Hearing her friend's voice seemed to centre the blonde, pulling her lips from her girlfriend and forcing her to look at the pair across the table.

"Ohh," Was all Yuzu managed to say, her face lit up in embarrassment as the two looked at her. Seeming as though their argument had finished some time ago and had just spent the last minute or so waiting for Yuzu to leave her helpless girlfriends alone.

As soon as the lips had left her ear, Mei clasped a hand over it to remove the saliva that still covered it, stopping the tingle she got when the cold air hit it. Her eyes sprung open as well, instantly forming narrow slits that Harumi wasn't even sure she would be able to see out of.

Yuzu seeing the look of horror painted on both her friends faces slowly turned her head to see Mei looking at her with a formidable, unnerving, spine-chilling, bone-racking, hair-raising expression. Yuzu was sure she peed a little when her eyes made contact with Mei's.

Her sanity returning, Yuzu raised her hands and moved back from Mei, pushing herself back around the table until she had her back against Harumi's arm. With nowhere left to run Yuzu was forced to confront Mei, "Mei, calm down, it was an accident." Her voice trembling, Yuzu tried to extinguish the look on her girlfriend's face but it didn't shift at all. She couldn't help it: It was as though when she was in the moment her mind shut off, as though she had no control over what she was doing, only focused on feeling pleasure. But once she stopped she could think somewhat clearly, she couldn't be to blame. She had no idea what on earth was happening.

"I didn't mean it, please be rational!" Yuzu begged as she clasped her hands together and bowed her head as low as it would go, but she couldn't deny the thought of Mei ravishing her that crossed her mind did sound very, _very_ appetising.

"Get up... now." The voice came low and almost hollow, commanding Yuzu out of the seat. Which she did after a quick look back at her friends, a silent goodbye if she was never seen again.

Mei gave the girls a last look as she pushed on Yuzu's back towards the exit. Harumi seemed to have a worried expression on her face, probably wishing the blonde the best but what Mei couldn't quite comprehend was the glinting smile in Matsuri's eyes and the Cheshire cat grin on her face. It could be she was just enjoying the show, that was her personality after all, but that didn't sit right with Mei.

With more pressing matters at hand, Mei kept her hand in between the blonde's shoulder blades and pushed her on out the restaurant, and onto the side of the road. Seeing a slight dip in the building line a few metres away, Mei dragged Yuzu down there, away from the rush of people giving her the perfect place to express her annoyance and anger at her blonde, blushing girlfriend. Why Yuzu was still blushing was beyond Mei, she was about to get the lecture of a lifetime and yet her cheeks were still painted pink, not just her cheeks, her entire face and even her neck seemed a shade darker than usual.

Pressing Yuzu so her back was against the brick wall Mei closed in so her finger was pressed firmly against the blonde's chest. "What on earth is wrong with you Yuzu? We are with our friends on a night out that you wanted to do, now you are completely ignoring them and acting like some sort of imbecile. Embarrassing me like that in front of them was unacceptable, you knew I wouldn't be able to stop you and yet you did it anyway! This behaviour is not like you at all and it's appalling-"

Mei was cut off as Yuzu forced the finger between them out the way and pushed Mei up against the bare wall behind her. Her lips connecting to Mei milliseconds after her back made contact with the wall. It was forceful, needy and if Yuzu was honest, not that enjoyable considering Mei was not reciprocating the kiss, but it was _something_. She wanted Mei to dominate her, anything from the other girl Yuzu would have been happy with, but she needed something.

Hands flew to Yuzu's shoulders to get her off, and yet the blonde was faster and surprisingly stronger. Taking the hands in her own Yuzu intertwined their fingers before pushing them against the wall as well. The desperate rise and fall of her chest told Yuzu that she needed to stop and take in air, but that would mean loss of contact. With Mei still squirming against her to get free, Yuzu surrendered to her lungs and pulled her lips off Mei's, keeping her body pressed against her to stop her from escaping.

Yuzu didn't know what to say, her lips breathed hot air onto Mei's, her eyes watching her counterparts. They were surprised and confused, unlike Yuzu's that were completely glazed over with lust and want. Mei could find little reminiscence of her girlfriend in her eyes.

"Yuzu what are doing? Stop it, we are in plain sight if I get caught out here-" Again Mei was cut off by her girlfriend, though this time with words and small kisses to her neck.

"I can't help it I want you so bad, I don't care who else is here I need you." Her breath was still harsh as she continued her work on the black-haired girl, her hands nor body ceasing on their holds. "I'm going to let go okay?" Still sucking hard on her neck, Yuzu pulled back ever so slightly and released one of Mei's hands, the action clearly a mistake on the blonde's part as as soon as her hand was free Mei began pushing against her girlfriend.

"I do care! If anyone I know or who has connections to the academy was to see me my chances of becoming chairwoman are gone!... Yuzu stop!" Mei's voice came angry, but she was silenced again as she felt the harsh lips of the blonde back on her own. Pushing harder against Yuzu, Mei felt she was finally getting some leeway when Yuzu pulled back, but her hope was quickly diminished as Yuzu took a hand in each of her own and placed them above her head on the wall before pinning them both in own of her own. A surprisingly new volume of strength keeping Mei in place as even with all her strength she couldn't get free of the blonde's single arm.

Gently cupping her hand over Mei's cheek, Yuzu used the extra support to deepen the kiss. "I want to feel every single part of you, to taste you everywhere and I want you to do the same to me." Stopping for just a moment, Yuzu whispered before delving back into the one-sided embrace. Mei's chest was rising and falling with great speed, Yuzu could tell she was past her limit and needed to calm her breathing. And her generosity perceived her as she left the lips to resume her torture of the girl's bruising neck.

Her hand no longer needed for support, Yuzu travelled it lower and slipped it behind to the girls back. Her body pressed flush against Mei who was still squirming in fight but much less now as she began to tire, Yuzu's hand continued on its quest downward. When the firm round muscle was within her grasp she gave a strong squeeze before soft massages were applied. As soon as the action occurred Mei took a sharp breath, her heart stopped as she realised just how far the blonde wanted to take this and how serious she was about it.

"Don't you want me to fuck you? You were so keen last night, I can make you feel that again." Yuzu continued her ministrations for a few moments longer before she began to toy with the hem of Mei's jeans, her lips lowering to the top of the girl's chest, pushing the boundaries of the sweater. "I could even fuck you in the ass, we both know you love it there?" The words were said after a long suck to the trembling skin, Yuzu's hand slipped beneath her girlfriend's jeans, and ran her hand over Mei's lower cheeks.

The body beneath her flinched at the action but there was no longer any struggle as the strength in her arms was gone.

"Hmm, what do you say Mei?" Another squeeze to the bare cheek in her hand before Yuzu stopped at the response.

"Yuzu... stop...please," It wasn't the normal Mei who spoke, it was vulnerable and powerless, the voice of a begging man or pleading woman. It stopped Yuzu in her tracks, her hands and lips motionless as she listened to the single sentence from the girl she had pinned to the cold wall. Then something wet hit her nose, looking up Yuzu watched as several tears rolled down Mei's unusually pale skin and dripped from her trembling chin.

That was when Yuzu seemed to be released from her sex driven trance, it broke in an instant. The moment she heard Mei diminished to a frail, breakable beg with tears streaming down her face.

Her hands were released moments after her request and she opened her eyes to see Yuzu staggering back to the other wall, her back smacking against it as she looked at Mei. Her arms fell helplessly to her sides, both red at the wrists, her expression was one of fear, the tears proving just how much.

"Mei-Mei I, I..." Yuzu's voice was full of panic as her eyes shot back and forth across Mei's body taking in everything she had just forced upon the girl. From the raw wrists to the bruised bites on her neck, _I did this. I forced myself on Mei, she looks petrified of me, she thought I was going to rape her. NO, I would never do that, what's wrong with me!?_ **I** _did this to her._

As the thoughts crossed her mind and the single most important word in her thoughts ran through her train of thought, Yuzu staggered back out of the small alleyway shaking her head in disgust and disbelief. "No I wouldn't, I didn't Mei I- I'm so sorry for this! I didn't mean to I..." As her mind ran wild with confusion and panic her heels came into contact with the uneven pavement and sent her falling to the ground. All the while all Yuzu could focus on was Mei's scared crying expression, all at her dispense.

As Mei looked at Yuzu she saw her girlfriend return, the distant look in the emerald eyes was gone and the normal Yuzu had returned. Only now she was paying attention to what she had done. "Yuzu?" Speaking through her clammed up throat Mei reached out an arm to Yuzu who stumbled to her feet after being knocked by a few people. However, the blonde looked to have no intention of coming back to her as she looked left and right, turning in circles like some disorientated deer caught in the headlights of a car.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!.." Yuzu's panicked rambling stopped after that sentence when she looked at Mei and still saw the look of fear in her eyes, even if it was much less prominent now. Shaking her head a few more times and wiping her hands on her thighs as if that would wipe away the act, Yuzu turned and sprinted along the sidewalk away from Mei.

"I'm sorry," Was the last thing Mei heard as Yuzu's uncoordinated form faded into the mass of people walking the street, bumping into people and pushing them out the way as she worked to put as much distance between her and Mei as possible.

Mei couldn't bring herself to shout after her girlfriend, she had to concentrate on getting her breathing under control. It took a few minutes, but soon enough Mei had her breathing back to normal and cleaning her cheeks of any signs of tears. Having regained her strength, Mei's mind spun with what had just happened. How fast Yuzu had changed once she heard her weak voice.

It took a few more minutes in the autumn air to put the pieces together, but Mei got there and when she did she was storming back into the restaurant, her target a short pink-haired girl.

When Mei looked at the table, she saw Harumi picking at her pasta while Matsuri blabbed on about something Mei was too angry to hear. When she was a few feet from the table both girl's noticed her and Matsuri looked at her with a coy grin.

"Did you have fu- What the fuck Mei?" Her smart comment was cut off with a snarl as Mei had two hands on the front of her shirt and practically pulled the girl from her seat to a standing position.

"What did you do to Yuzu!? Bear in mind that after what just happened I am in no mood for your stupid games." The voice was hard and left Matsuri with a saliva lump in her throat that seemed hard to swallow. Though it seemed that Mei wasn't alone in fighting this battle as Harumi was at her girlfriend's side and trying to push Mei off her in a matter of seconds.

"Mei what are you doing, let go of her now?"

Mei, however, paid no attention, her gaze fixed on the small figure before her. "Mei, come on-" Harumi tried again but this time was cut off by her girlfriend.

"It was just a pill to make her super horney, it isn't dangerous or anything. I put it in her beer." As the sentence left her mouth Mei felt her anger rise within. She had the urge to smack the girl right in the face for what she had done, but she couldn't: people were already looking at them. Releasing her grip on the youngers hoodie, Mei pushed her back onto the leather seats of the booth. After taking out some money and throwing it on the table, Mei grabbed both their belongings and walked out of the restaurant without another word.

"What the hell are you playing at Matsuri!?" Harumi asked as she grit her teeth and sat across from her girlfriend who wore a slightly guilty expression.

"It's honestly not that big of a deal, it was just something to make her horney. It's not dangerous or anything and it won't harm her, I only wanted to see how she would react to it." Matsuri said as she took a sip of her drink, not seeing what all the fuss was about, or why she had just been at the end of Mei's fury.

"You should never drug someone like that, you never know how they are going to react! You have no idea what might have happened outside, and it's your fault. Why did you even have those?" Matsuri could hear the anger in her girlfriend's voice and thought that maybe she had gone a little far. After following her straw with her finger for a moment, Matsuri spoke up, slightly nervous opposed to her obnoxious attitude.

"Cuz I wanted to give it to you but I wanted to see how you would react so I knew what to expect." At her admitting her intentions, Matsuri looked up to Harumi to see her eyes lit with fire.

"Why on earth would you do that!?"

"To make you horney, why else?..." At her quick remark, she saw her girlfriend tense with anger and continued her explanation, hoping it would ease some of the tension and anger that had formulated in such a little amount of time.

"... You've been really distant with me the past couple of weeks. Last week you were busy with your family stuff, and even when I was there most of the time you didn't even pay attention to me, and this week you just don't want to see me. You're never in the mood and anytime I mention spending time together you make up some excuse or make it seem like a chore... I just wanted you to pay attention to me," Making her thoughts known, Matsuri looked up to her girlfriend who had a softened expression but still held some annoyance in her eyes.

"That doesn't mean you can do something like that to Yuzu Matsuri, something happened that hurt them both and you have to apologise for that. As for me, I've been stressed the past week. I have a lot going on with my family at the minute and I just don't have the time to spend every night sleeping with you. You've been at mine pretty much since last Tuesday and I just needed some space to breathe. I'm not used to you being around so much and I guess I just needed you to back off for just like a day to let me think." Harumi softened her voice as she tried to comfort her moping girlfriend and help her understand that it wasn't a shortage of love for her that had resulted in the lack of intimacy between them

"So its that you don't want me around? Why didn't you just say that then." The words came out bitter and Matsuri got up to leave the table, a sour look on her face.

"Hey don't be so petty, you're the one in the wrong here. Sit down," The words came harshly as Harumi lost her soft voice and used her anger to fuel her words, which were strong enough to make the younger girl sit back down immediately.

"Listen, it's not that I don't want you around because I do, I am just not used to you being around so much. You can't expect me to completely be okay with you going from staying two nights a week to eight days in a row. I'm sorry if you feel like I haven't been a good girlfriend, but some things were on my mind. How about we go over to your place tonight and talk about it?" Harumi offered and she saw the younger girl light up at her words.

Harumi got from the table and after leaving enough money to cover their side of the bill, gestured for her girlfriend to follow her.

* * *

Slipping her own jacket on, Mei carried both their purses and the blonde's coat in her arms. She had rung the girl several times but each and every time she did it was cut off immediately. With nothing to go on apart from the direction the older had run away in, that's where Mei went. She had considered that the blonde might have gone home, but she didn't have her keys and with the look of self-disgust Mei saw in her eyes before she sprinted away, that was the last place she expected to find her.

She hadn't seen Yuzu take any turns in the road before she lost sight of her, so Mei continued walking straight from the restaurant eyes flicking left and right for any sign of her girlfriend. She had been furious and even feared the girl's actions, but something about the girl's actions and her expressions just wasn't 'Yuzu', Mei knew something was wrong with her and she was right. Now that Matsuri had confirmed her suspicions she was determined to find her girlfriend and explain what was happening to her and why she had acted the way she did.

When she came to the end of the street with still no sign of the blonde Mei began to worry. Yuzu was the kindest and caring person she had ever met, the fact that she thought she had done something like this was bound to be driving her innocent mind crazy. The end of the road split two ways; One lead to another street of nightlife the other to a small park. Trying her luck, Mei walked to the side of the park and gave it a once over, but as she had suspected there was no one there.

It was getting late and Mei hated that Yuzu was out at this time by herself. Taking her phone from her pocket, Mei tried the blonde's phone again, wishing she would at least answer to let Mei know she was alright. But Mei got something better: A small quiet jingle that lasted only a second came from the park, Mei's ears perking up as soon as she heard the familiar jingle.

Walking further into the park with her eyes scanning the floor, Mei rung the phone again and was rewarded with the quiet noise but this time she heard a weeping voice as soon as the sound stopped.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it." It would be far fetched to call it speaking she was crying to heavily, but even through the tears, Mei could instantly tell it was Yuzu. A small tunnel in the ground that would be no more than a metre long come into Mei's view and as she put her phone away walked towards it and crouched down when she got to the entrance.

"Yuzu?" Her voice was soft and caring, Mei slowly dipped her head down low enough to see in the tunnel and was graced with Yuzu curled up form. Reaching her hand out to touch the girl's shoulder, Mei said her name again as to not startle the already crying girl.

"Yuzu, it's alright." This time she got an immediate response from the girl, eyes darting towards Mei before she shot to the other side of the tunnel before Mei could touch her. Stumbling out the other side Yuzu was quick to put several more steps between them, wiping her eyes of the tears that were still falling down her cheeks.

"Mei? You can't be here, not with me." Yuzu's voice came trembling and scared, the sound breaking Mei's heart just a little.

With having left herself to think for nearly an hour, Yuzu had come to many conclusions for what she would do next, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't understand how things escalated so quickly. One minute she was looking at Mei thinking she was beautiful, the next she had this undeniable urge to have here, wherever it may have been. The entire experience seemed like a vague hazy memory she couldn't quite make out the details of, as though someone else was doing the deeds and all she could remember was the brief storyboard plan.

She saw herself as a danger to Mei, the girl she loved with her entire being was now no longer safe in her presence. Yuzu didn't know why or how she had gotten into such a state where she forced herself onto Mei, but she was adamant she would never let herself do it again. If only to spare herself of seeing the fear in Mei's eyes again.

"Yuzu, it's getting a little cold out here, how about you put your jacket on and we go home?" Mei could see the nervous wreck Yuzu was at the minute, how she continued to take a step back when she moved forwards, how her eyes darted around to see if they were close to other people and how her fingers were a blur they were tapping so fast. Her voice was sweet and caring, one that she only showed to the blonde and hoped it would show her that she wasn't angry or scared anymore, only concerned for her well-being.

"No I can't touch you, I can't control what I'm doing and I can't hurt you again. You were so scared of me I can't put you through that again." Yuzu's rushed words were spoken as her eyes scanned the park's exits, Mei saw her shuffling her feet in the direction of the entrance she had just come in from and knew she was planning on running again.

"Yuzu you don't have to be scared of yourself, or what you did to me you weren't thinking clearly. Matsuri ga-" Mei was calming again, reaching her hand out to the blonde in an easing gesture but she was cut off as it seemed that the struggling blonde wasn't listening.

"Mei I-I love you so much, I'm sorry I hurt you like this!" Yuzu gave a strong bow to Mei who felt a lump in her throat at the blonde's state. How she was so distraught over something that wasn't her fault. With Yuzu's head bowed and her sobs covering the sound of footprints, Mei made up the distance between them and grabbed Yuzu by the shoulder. "Yuzu you don't need to keep-" Mei started, but her hand was shook from the blonde's shoulder in a matter of seconds and Yuzu replaced the distance between them.

"I'm breaking up with you Mei! I can't let it happen to you again, I won't let it. I'm sorry!" Yuzu shouted through her cries as she began to back out of the park, still crying and shaking her head. For a moment Mei was stunned, what did Yuzu just say? _No, surely she didn't just say she was leaving me?_

It was only when she saw blonde locks leaving the park in a swaying mess that Mei jumped into action. Sprinting after the blonde using her long legs and entire strength to make up the distance fairly quickly. Not that Yuzu was running that fast due to her crying and nonexistent coordination.

When Yuzu was withing grabbing distance Mei put two hands on the back of her shoulders and gripped tightly at the fabric there. Pulling the blonde to a halt and turning her around all in one action as Mei drew her into a tight embrace that Yuzu couldn't escape even if she wanted to.

"You aren't breaking up with me, I won't allow that! Matsuri spiked your beer Yuzu! What you did to me wasn't because _you_ wanted to do that to me, but because of the stupid pills that Matsuri gave you." Mei started off loud when she felt Yuzu trying to push her away, but when she finally stopped her struggles and begun to relax into Mei's warmth Mei continued with her statement, now much softer as gripped one hand on the girls back the other cradling the back of her head.

"Wh-What?" Yuzu managed to squeeze out between her cries, brain rattled by this new piece of information. "B-but It was me who made you so sacred Mei. You were pale and crying and shaking! I DID THAT TO YOU!" Yuzu shouted the last part, she wouldn't let herself be fooled, she was the one who had hurt Mei. It was her hands, her teeth, her body.

At her words, Yuzu began pushing and squirming to try and get out of the younger girls vice-like grip and it was only a matter of time until Mei snapped at the movements.

"Will you shut up!?" At the raised voice and shake of her shoulders, Yuzu stilled instantly. Her eyes raising to meet Mei's gaze but unlike before it was a look of concern and... Love? _How can she still love me after what I did?_

"Stop being an idiot for a second and listen to what I'm saying." Moving her hands from the blonde's shoulders, Mei placed both on the girl's wet cheeks using her thumbs to wipe away any tears that dared to venture close.

"Yes you did all those things to me Yuzu, and yes I was scared, worried, wished that I could rewind time to when we were in the restaurant so I wouldn't go outside, but you weren't in the right frame of mind. You were high up on drugs, in a daze and unable to control yourself. But _you_ stopped yourself when it really mattered, before you did anything extreme that I might not have forgiven you for, you did that Yuzu. I don't hate you and I'm not scared of you, I want to hold you and make sure you are okay, that you are fine and haven't taken to any side effects of the drugs." Running her fingers over the soft and slightly damp skin, Mei gave a weak smile to Yuzu as she saw the panic and worry fall from her face.

"You have never forced yourself on me like that before so I knew something was wrong, besides what do I have to be afraid of when you are a bubbling mess like this?" Mei gave a small crack at a joke that Yuzu couldn't help but let out a snorkel at. After a few more moments of silence, Mei leaned in and placed her lips on the blondes. She felt her flinch initially, but with a few more seconds of incouragement with Mei's lips, Yuzu eased into it.

It was slow and unmistakably one of the best kisses Yuzu thought she had ever shared with the darker-haired girl. Slowly but surely Mei brought her tongue into play and coaxed Yuzu's out too, the embrace was growing stronger and Mei made sure to try and control her breathing to prolong it as long as possible. The feeling of having the real Yuzu in her arms, no longer crying and kissing her softly was everything she needed after the earlier events. Unlike usual, it was Yuzu who broke the kiss, giving a slow suck to her lips before she wrapped her arms around the girl's neck and buried her face into the joint of her should and neck.

"Thank you for not hating me," Yuzu said though it came as more of a whisper from her position. At first, Mei wasn't sure how to respond to such a statement, but soon she just pulled both arms around the blonde's body and pulled her close.

"Listen it's getting late and it isn't exactly safe for us to just be standing out here, how about we go somewhere a little more private?" Mei asked as she stroked the tangled blonde hair, laying a gentle kiss ot the inside of Yuzu's neck as she did so.

"Yeah, sorry I took up a lot of time tonight. Should we call a cab to go home or I could drive, I didn't even get through half my second beer so I can if you want me to?" Yuzu asked, but she kept her hold on Mei even as they spoke about leaving. In all truth, she didn't want to move from this stop, from Mei warmth.

"You having the best luck in the world, decided to run in the opposite direction of the car to that's a no, but I don't think I want to go home tonight. There is a hotel just down there, I passed it on my way to find you, how about we book a room and spend the night there. The change of scenery might be nice and I don't particularly want to sit in a taxi for the next half an hour." Gesturing to a lit-up building several hundred yards from where they both stood, Mei, turned Yuzu around and after handing her her coat and purse, began to lead them in that direction.

"But Mei I don't have any ca-"

"I'm paying, think of tonight as my treat, okay?" Mei butted in just as they were entering the building, relief covering her face when the warm air hit her face. And Yuzu didn't have time to complain as Mei walked to the counter and after exchanging a few words with the receptionist and handing over her card to pay, received a key and a few directions to the room.

Taking Yuzu's hand in her own, Mei gave her thanks to the lady before dragging her down the corridor and to the elevator that would take them to the top floor where a king-sized room was awaiting them.

Walking into the room they were met with fresh white sheets covering the overly large bed, open empty space at the foot of the bed before a dresser and chest of drawers lined the wall. On the other side of the room, there were two plush purple chairs that sat in the corner next to a small oak coffee table.

The door opposite the bed lead to a bathroom that had a large corner bath and every other facility necessary, along with complimentary amenities and toiletries and two fresh white robes hung from the door.

"Mei this place is..." Yuzu trailed off as she searched the room, this was fancier than any hotel she had ever stayed in on such short notice, possibly altogether.

"You don't need to worry about that, what I will tell you to do is start running that bath," Mei smiled to the astonished look on the blonde's face at the room. This was mediocre to some of the places she had stayed in while living with and visiting with her family, but it was enough to please the blonde and that's all Mei wanted to do. She knew how shaken up Yuzu was about what she had done that evening, and after spending time out by herself in the cold Mei wanted to make sure she was comfortable and was made happy. After all, nobody should have to be made to feel as the blonde had tonight and even if it wasn't Mei's fault she was determined to make sure Yuzu knew she didn't blame her or hold it against her.

She got an instant nod from Yuzu, who kicked off her snickers and went to the bathroom to do as she had been asked.

Mei doing the same with removing her footwear and jacket, hanging it up along with Yuzu's and their purses before locking the door and making her way into the room herself, where she heard sounds of surprise and awe as Yuzu found little toothbrushes, hairbrushes, soaps and more offered in the bathroom.

Mei wanted desperately to be out of her jeans, she cursed herself for wearing them but she had no other clothes here and would have to wait for her turn in the bath so she could change into the soft cotton robe that awaited her.

"Mei are you alright?" The soft voice of her girlfriend brought Mei from her thoughts, she was wearing a warm smile that could put any person at ease. "I'm fine," Giving a small nod in the girl's direction, Mei retrieved the remote for the television and sat back down on the bed. Hoping to fill the silence of the room with some form of noise, even if she probably wouldn't be interested in the channels offered.

The bed dipped beside her, the sheets crinkling at the movement, it was only a matter of moments before Mei felt Yuzu take her wrists in her hand. "Are your wrists and hands okay? I know I was pretty violent with them before and it was a brick wall." Yuzu asked, turning the hands in her own to seek out any damages. Luckily for her there was no bruising to the girl's slender wrists, a few minor scraped to the back of her hands but nothing that would have caused any great pain.

"It's nothing big, but don't you think you should go and clean the scratches? There are little pieces of dirt and stones still on it so it would probably be for the best." Yuzu suggested as she lightly ran her fingers over the marks, knowing her touch wasn't hard enough to cause pain to them.

"You are probably right. Would you mind if I bathed first? I'll be quick but I just want to be out of these clothes," Taking her hands back to her lap, Mei stood up and walked to the bathroom where she slowly ran the warm water over the red scratches; Flintching initially when it made contact with her skin.

"W-well, I thought maybe if you wanted to, that we could take a bath together?" Cheeks rosy in an instant, Yuzu tried to hide her blush by looking at the floor and hoping her hair fell low enough to cover her pink cheeks.

"Is that right?" Mei's reply was almost prepared, Yuzu listened as the tap stopped and she heard footsteps draw closer. "Y-Yes, but if, if it makes you uncomfortable or you want to relax on your own I understand and I'll go after you." Her stumbling reply made Mei smile. Pulling her sweater over her head to reveal a flat and minimally toned torso and two mounds that brought the blonde unexplained joy.

Yuzu listened as she head material hit the floor, her eyes darting from their downwards position to scan the floor, and sure enough, she located a purple sweater behind Mei's feet. That's when she saw the jeans being pulled down revealing the long pale legs.

"Mei?" By the time Yuzu had it in her to take her eyes off the smooth stretches of skin in front of her, Mei was already pulling her up by the collar, fingers working at the top buttons of her shirt.

"We will be taking one together." Was all she said, hands finishing off on the buttons as she peeled the thin fabric over the blonde's shoulder exposing her mostly naked upper half. Mei watched as Yuzu's face and neck reddened in embarrassment, but that didn't stop her from unbuttoning her shorts and letting them drop the floor. Hands running up and across her torso as she took a step forward, mindful of the steam that was practically being trumpeted out the blonde's ears.

Yuzu's eyes didn't know where they should sit, her chest, her stomach her eyes? All of it was breathtaking to her, and this side of Mei made it even more so, but after tongiht was this really the best course of action for the younger girl.

"Mei are you sure? I mean are you sure you want me to touch you after what happened earlier? What if the drugs are still effecting me and I lose it again?" Yuzu asked, her hands raising to Mei's shoulders to slow her advancements. Mei, however. waled into the arms letting them slip over her shoulders and around her neck, letting her lips find the blonde's neck, hands the clasp of her bra.

"I'm more than sure," With a small pink Yuzu's bra became loose prompting Mei to move back and pull it from her arms to reveal the girl's chest. A sight Mei hadn't seen in a while and welcomed. Though knowing it was too early and the tempting bubble bath that was not on the verge of being full was calling her, so turning around, Mei removed both her own undergarments before stepping into the hot water. Grateful Yuzu had run the cold as well as the hot.

When she was settled in the oversized tub, Mei felt every bone in her body melt. Her eyes slid shut as she momentarily forgot about the naked girlfriend she had abandoned. "Are you going to get in?" With her eyes still sealed and her head rested back against the side of the bath, Mei asked. Her foot raising to the surface of the water to show where she wanted the blonde to be. There was no verbal reply but Mei would bet that Yuzu had frantically nodded her head before nervously edging towards the bath and cautiously sat on the opposite side from Mei.

"You look p-pretty Mei," Yuzu spoke up in a chattering voice after a long silence as she was sat stiffly in the corner of the bath watching Mei's unusually relaxed body. Surely Mei felt just as awkward as Yuzu did right then, but that was probably highly unlikely going off the content look on her face.

At her words Yuzu watched as both Mei's lip and eyebrow quirked at the compliment, she knew it sounded stupid, but she didn't know what else to say.

"Thank you... you don't have to be so still you know? You can stretch your legs and relax, I don't mind." Mei said, still with her eyes closed. In response, Yuzu did just that, extending her legs out into the bath, trying to avoid bumping into Mei's under the bubbly surface. Not that it did any use as their legs ended tangled up the minimal space anyway, letting both parties relax back and enjoy the water.

The silence lasted as short while before Yuuzu resorted to playing some light music on her phone to take the edge of the awkwardness that only she seemed to notice. Mei was still sitting in the bath, her muscles relaxing in the large bath. With the two staying in there for a while longer, Mei soon sat up straight in the bath letting the water trickle down her exposed chest. "I'm going to get out now, I don't want to get too hot," Mei said to Yuzu, her eyes opening for the first time since she entered the bath, amused with the blush on the blonde's cheeks as her eyes were glued on her chest.

"I-I think I'm going to stay a little longer." Yuzu managed the words as she watched Mei get out the bath, forcing her eyes away before Mei began to get annoyed with her staring. "Very well, I'll see you in the bedroom then." Pulling the robe over her shoulders, Mei let out a content sigh as the soft material covered her skin. "Don't keep me waiting too long, okay?" Mei said as she turned to Yuzu in the bath, certain the water wasn't hot enough to make her cheek that red.

Mischief burning in her eyes as a thought ran through her mind, Mei pulled up the sleeve of her dressing gown and walked over to the blonde. Sitting on the side of the bath as she leaned over Yuzu, Mei bowed her head down to capture the blonde in a deep kiss without warning. Her hand catching the blonde even more off guard as she jumped when she felt Mei's fingers trail down the skin between her breasts, but they didn't stop. Tracing down the line of her stomach before making contact with her most sensitive region.

It was a single light and gentle rub of her hand, but it was enough for Yuzu to tense her stomach and her head reached backwards breaking the kiss. With the single tease over Mei retrieved her hand and sat back slightly as Yuzu eyes widened.

"I am looking forward to when you get out," An obvious attempt at a charming smile had Yuzu feeling as though she was going to pass out or hear heart was going to burst from her chest it was beating so fast. With her mind swirling in circles too much to link a proper sentence together, Yuzu rapidly nodded her head and pulled her legs together.

Mei smiled at her achievement and placed a much softer kiss to the top of the blonde's head before quickly drying her arm and leaving the room closing the door behind her. When she was finally out of sight she let a quivering breath leave her lips as she looked at her fingers, just the simple touch of Yuzu's slips raised her pulse and gave her butterflies. It had been a while since she had touched those slits out of love and desire, now she felt as though she was desperate to feel them again.

Sitting down on the bed to try and calm herself down, Mei turned the television to a music channel that she found played romantic softer songs. It seemed perfect to have this music on to get in the mood, not that Mei wasn't already and she was sure Yuzu had been waiting for this moment for days now so it wouldn't take much to get her into it, but it somehow calmed her nerves and steadied her racing heart. Even after all the times they had shared a bed, Mei still found herself with an unmeasurable heartrate she got so nervous and excited.

When Yuzu eventually came out of the bathroom her robe was tied arguably too loose around her waist letting the top fall loosely over her shoulders, her breast easily being seen by Mei who instantly took note of her attire.

No words were said for a few seconds before Yuzu brought up her courage and walked over to where Mei was sitting on the edge of the bed. She reached her head down for a kiss but was stopped as Mei raised her hand between their lips, and for a moment Yuzu thought she was going to be turned down again and that Mei really had just been falsely teasing her in the bathroom, but Mei gave a smile and motioned to the sheets behind her.

"Lie down?" It was gentle and not at all commanding or insensitive towards Yuzu, something that caught the blonde off guard as she wasn't expecting Mei to be so gentle with her. But like she had been asked, Yuzu crawled onto the bed and lay on her back while Mei turned around and assisted her in lying down with a hand to her shoulder. It was only a second at most the pair spent looking at each other, but it felt like so much longer for the two as their breaths mixed they were so close.

Soon Mei closed her eyes and brought her head down to connect her lips with Yuzu's in a slow kiss, her body moving to straddle the blonde while her hands removed what was left of the robe on the blonde's body. They didn't need any more teasing tonight... well not right at this moment. Her hands worked up and down the blonde's torso, never stopping just enjoying feeling the bare skin beneath her hand.

Yuzu had already moved her hands under Mei's tightly wrapped gown and had both the larger breasts in her hands, allowing herself to let out moan after moan and not caring who heard her. Lips left her own before she felt them on her neck, gentle and slow, taking in every single touch Yuzu felt like she was floating as her mind ran a blank as all she could think about was the lips on her neck and the hands running over her body.

"I am going to please you all night and you aren't going to stop me or try and take the lead. Got it?" Mei said as she pulled her head up from the top of the blonde's chest to look her in the eye, but her voice was still angelic and didn't hold a hint of dominance or forcefulness to it. Yuzu could only look in awe at the loving smile Mei was giving her, she gave a small nod before removing one of her hands to place it on Mei's cheeks and motioned her to move back and capture her in another kiss.

Which Mei gladly did, untying her robe before she did creating the skin on skin contact the blonde had been waiting for. Slowly laying her body down onto the blondes Mei ran her hand up her side before settling on the girl's breast, massaging it gently before taking the nub in her fingers. It took mere moments for it to harden in her grasp and so it was only seconds before Mei broke the kiss to move her lips to the hardened nipple.

Yuzu's back arched off the bed as her pelvis dipped into it, the motion making Mei smile with satisfaction as a moan slipped from the blonde's clenched teeth. Flicking her tongue over the sensitive skin several more times before Mei moved to focus on the peachy skin of her breast. Giving slow kisses and scrapes over her teeth, dragging her lips along the hot skin, very aware of the hammering heartbeat she felt against her face from the blonde's chest.

Soon Mei moved back onto Yuzu's lips, who was eagerly awaiting the contact and embraced the girl with both arms. She didn't think she quite wanted rough and dominating sex after what had happened earlier that night. Having Yuzu on top or playing rough was something Mei was sure would bring back memories she just didn't want to relive, but with her taking the lead and with Yuzu beneath her everything seemed perfect. It was slow and sensual, something Mei was enjoying very much. She didn't want to hear the blonde scream her name tonight, she wanted to hear hot moans of pleasure and passionate embraces as she showed the blonde how much she loved her.

Yuzu pulled back from the kiss after a few moments of taking it slow, her hand coming to rest on the side of Mei's cheek, eyes sparkling as she looked at Mei's warm amethysts that showed no signs of discomfort or hesitating. But she had to be sure.

"Are you sure you want this Mei? I know you love me I don't need you to do this if you don't want to... You might regret it later if we go any further, and what if we do it and you start to think about what happened earlier?" Yuzu's eyes were watering slightly and Mei could see it clearly, she didn't think anything like that would happen, but then again how could she be sure?

"Besides, I think I would feel guilty if we did it tonight. After everything we talked about this afternoon and then tonight, I think we should take it slow and appreciate each other. I mean there are other ways you can show me you forgive me than giving me what I want." Yuzu tried giving her dazzling smile but it was just too big for the moment, and so settled for a smaller content one.

Yuzu felt Mei remove the hand from her chest and shift he body so it was hovering over her rather than lying on top of her. "Like what?" Mei asked, seeming more calm and open to what Yuzu was saying that she thought she would. She got a smile from the blonde as her eyes lit up at Mei actually listening to her suggestion. Quickly moving her hands down to tie up Mei's robe along with her own to cover them both, Yuzu then ran her finger over her girlfriends bottom lip.

"Well, it would be nice to cuddle and hold you instead. But that doesn't mean we have to stop kissing?" Yuzu asked as she moved up to meet Mei's lips and took her in a soothing kiss.

"We could put a romantic movie on and get all warm and comfy, make out a little, but we don't have to go that far to have a nice night ya know?" Yuzu asked as she moved back, eyes wide with worry as she saw a tear trickle down Mei's cheek. Sitting up straight on the bed, Yuzu placed both hands on her shoulds but before she had the chance to speak, she was cut off by Mei.

"Thank you, that... that sounds nice," Mei mumbled out through a bubbling smile. Why did Yuzu always have to be thinking about her and her feelings?

"You don't need to thank me Mei, I should be apologising and thinking about you and making sure you are alright. I know you won't admit it but you are still pretty caught up in what happened and I won't do something that might result in you thinking about that again." Once hearing what the other girl had to say Yuzu could only pull her into a hug.

Sitting under the covers with all the lights turned off apart from the television, Mei was sat with Yuzu leaning into her embrace as they watched a movie neither seemed all that into as their small talk seemed much more entertaining.

"So how did you find out that it was Matsuri?" Looking up to Mei from her place on the bed, Yuzu gave an amused smile to the furrow and momentarily anger that flashed across Mei's eyes.

"I went back into the restaurant after you ran away and asked her what she had done," Mei said as she looked back to the television, a blush on her cheeks that only prompted Yuzu to ask more questions.

"And that's all you did?" Yuzu pried as she poked her finger into Mei's cheek.

"I may have grabbed her by her shirt and pulled her from her chair to get the answer out of her, however, I think my actions are valid considering the situation. You don't seem mad at her at all?" Mei's cheeks were hot as she replayed the scene in her head and could only imagine how many people were looking at her.

"I'm furious at her, but I don't think I'm going to get all physical like you did. Maybe lecture her a little, but I know she didn't mean for what happened to happen she was probably just trying to have some fun. Besides, why do I need to be mad at her when I have a knight in shining armour to do it for me?" Yuzu grinned and pecked Mei's cheek, her heart swelling even more when she felt the heat from Mei's face.

"Hmm, that is true. I will always be here to fight your battles so you don't have to dirty your hands ever." Mei turned her pink face to her girlfriend, bringing her into a kiss before she could comment on her silly remark.

"Thank you in advance then, but if you are fighting mine then it's only fair if I fight yours," Yuzu grinned as she kissed Mei again, hands mushing her cheeks together when she did.

Mei could only muster a nod in response to the honest look in the blonde's eyes. Nothing looked as if it would make the blonde flee and run, and Mei was sure she would be the best knight any girl could every wish for.

* * *

 **Okay, thanks for reading this chapter and I know some will criticise for its content but I never planed or plan to write something where one will force themselves on the other. It may seem weird for Mei to want things to get intimate after the ordeal, but she knows it wasn't really Yuzu and that she feels more than terrible about the whole thing.**

 **Also sorry for keep updating the chapters once I've already posted them I post them in a rush so you guys can read them but keep thinking of things to add, so bear with me :')**

 **Anyways, thanks for reading and I hope you liked this chapter,**


	40. Chapter 40

_She looks so beautiful sleeping but if she doesn't get up soon we'll both be late... Her neck looks sore though._

Yuzu frowned as she stroked her fingers over Mei's neck as she looked at the marks she had unknowingly left the evening before. Rubbing the bruises a moment longer before Yuzu gave a quiet kiss to Mei's forehead and shuffled out of the covers trying to make as little noise as possible.

They had ended up staying up long past midnight talking, watching movies and doing some much-needed couples bonding, so it was no surprise that Mei was still sleeping at half eight. She had class at eleven meaning they would have to leave the hotel at ten at the latest to be home to get changed into fresh clothes and grab Mei's books.

But Mei looked a long way from waking up, so grabbing her clothes Yuzu quickly changed before slipping out the door making sure to have her phone and the key card.

One thing Mei needed in the morning was a coffee, and so Yuzu decided she would get it. And while she was out, she had also made the decision to get the car. It would be quite the walk away, but if she drove back she believed she could do the trip in under half an hour. And hopefully before Mei woke up.

And so that's what she did. Almost a jog she was walking so fast down the street. Soon Yuzu saw their car come into view, the sight a welcomed one in the morning sun. Grabbing coffees and a few variations of pastries Yuzu hopped into the car and drove back to the hotel. And after scooping up all their breakfast rushed back up the stairs to meet her girlfriend who she doubted would even be awake.

Tip-toeing into the room, Yuzu flicked her shoes off and slipped into the main bedroom to see if her girlfriend was awake. Yet the two eyes remained closed a small content smile came to Yuzu's lips when she saw Mei's brow furrowed as she clasped onto the blonde's pillow.

Knowing what she was looking for, Yuzu placed the coffees on the dresser and gently shuffled onto the bed and pried the pillow from her girlfriend's fingers. The action forcing Mei to open her eyes as she tried to tighten her grip on the pillow, looking for the thief.

"Good morning, babe," Yuzu smiled and pecked Mei on the lips, amused at the lack of awareness Mei was showing as she grumbled a response and wiped her eyes as she sat up, holding the white sheets to her chest. After a few more minutes of taking in her surroundings and stretching, Mei finally noticed the blonde's attire.

"And where have you been?" Still waking up from her slumber Mei hadn't noticed the beverages on the counter or the smell of coffee in the room. Jumping to her knees on the soft mattress, Yuzu laced her arms over Mei's bare shoulders and layed another kiss to her girlfriend's lips.

"I went and got us some breakfast then I went and got the car from down the street." Giving a bright smile when she was finished, Yuzu placed a peck on Mei's cheek before bouncing off the bed to retrieve her girlfriend's coffee.

"We still have to go home to get fresh clothes and your books for class, so I thought it would save some time if I got it for us to have here, plus it means we get to stay here for a little bit longer," Yuzu smiled as she spoke and handed the to-go mug to a still somewhat drowsy Mei.

"Thank you," Taking the cup without hesitation, Yuzu watched as Mei took a large mouthful before leaning back against the cushioned headboard.

"Sorry for keeping you up so late, how'd you sleep?" Grabbing her own drink and bringing the selection of pastries to the bed, Yuzu sat with her legs crossed in front of Mei.

Turning her nose up at eating just after waking up, Mei opted for sipping on her coffee alone. "I slept well last night, you don't need to apologise for staying up. I enjoyed talking and staying up cuddling." Mei answered, turning her head away as she spoke, Yuzu assumed to avoid showing her embarrassment. Yuzu, however, was feeling very extra today and so risking her luck, edged forward and brought herself up to her knees until she was just a few inches from Mei's face.

"Enough to give me another kiss?" Eyes hopefully as she looked to Mei, but instead of the lips on hers, Yuzu was met with her girlfriend's palm over her face as she was pushed back onto her bum.

Though all she could muster was a chuckle, she had already stolen two good morning kisses, she was pushing it to ask for another.

"Will I see you at all today?" Mei asked, her tone somewhat low as she spoke. She had not forgotten that today was Yuzu's first day at work, and that not only would she be working lunch but also that evening. The same could be said for the next four days.

Yuzu nervously looked away, she was very aware of Mei's hesitance towards her getting this job and the especially the amount of hours she was doing.

"Umm maybe? I'll be home sometime after two, but I have to be back at the restaurant at half four for my shift. I'll have to leave at about quarter past to get there on time, so we might see each other when we pass at the house... but your piano tutor's house is a fifteen-minute walk from the house so I doubt it..." Yuzu gave a nervous smile as she watched Mei nod in agreement, but she could see the disappointment her words brought to Mei's eyes.

"I don't really know what time I'll finish tonight, but I'll see you when I get home and if you're asleep then I'll make sure and cuddle you when I get into bed so you know I'm there." Smiling brightly at the thought, Yuzu offered the compromise to her girlfriend as she nibbled on a scone.

Mei nodded again, she knew Yuzu could see through her act but she put it on anyway. She was happy Yuzu had gotten this job if it was something she wanted and would make her happy, but Mei couldn't deny that she knew she was going to miss the energetic presence in the house. She would come home from class to an empty house, come home from her lesson to an empty house, eat dinner alone, shower alone before going to bed alone. Although the silence did sound nice in theory, and Mei did enjoy some alone time she could tell that she would get lonely sooner or later in what would be a silent apartment.

"Please make sure you get home safe if you are going to be home any later than eleven or twelve would it not be better to take the car? I know there is very little crime around here but I want you to be safe, no one can hurt you if you are in the car." Mei's voice was weary, clearly worried for more than just her own loneliness, but for the dark nights Yuzu would be walking home in.

"Mei the restaurant is super close by and that would waste a lot of fuel. The whole point of getting a job is to save money not to spend it." Yuzu made a silly grin, but it was one that Mei didn't share or appreciate.

"Your safety is hardly something I grudge paying fuel for." The comment was serious and swiped the smile off the blonde's face.

"Hey, I know you are just worried but you don't have to be. I probably won't be too late tonight because it's my first night, but if there is ever a night where I know I won't be home until really late then I promise I'll take the car. But if I'm just finishing at a normal time then walking should be just fine." Yuzu reassured though she couldn't deny that Mei trying to take such precautions for her safety did make her happy.

"And what about you? Not going to start any fights today?" Yuzu wore a mischievous grin as she raised her brow and poked Mei's leg with her foot, her smile only brightening when she saw Mei give a scowl her way.

"It wasn't a fight, and as I'm sure you can guess I didn't initiate it. I don't, however, plan on doing it again so you can rest assured that your friend will be fine." Mei said as if it was obvious, gritting her teeth at the end as though it was painful to say the words.

"I think I'm more afraid of the sour mood you will be in when I get home tonight." Grinning for a few moments as she waited for a reply, Yuzu watched as Mei turned her head away. Accepting that Mei would not respond to her comment, Yuzu scooted around so she was sitting next to Mei and slipped back under the covers. After slyly trying to snake her arm around Mei's waist to pull her closer, Yuzu placed a kiss on her cheek at her success.

With her fingers tracing over Mei's bare side Yuzu couldn't help laying several kisses to her shoulder. "Your skin is so soft, I thinking we should sleep like this more often." Speaking as she ran her hand over Mei's back before going back to her waist and giving a gentle squeeze. Her lips giving another kiss to the pale shoulder before nuzzling her nose over it and settling with her head resting on Mei's shoulder.

"That won't be happening we have pyjamas for a reason, sleeping naked would prevent you from going to sleep when you get into bed. Hence your wandering hands last night." Mei said as she smiled down to Yuzu, amused at her attempt, but refusing it all the same.

"Hey! I only cuddled you and I only ever touched your arms and stomach. I only touched your boob once when we were making out, and I stopped pretty much straight away. You seemed pretty preoccupied with me anyway." Yuzu defended as she pulled Mei closer to her, her hand holding her in place securely.

"Yes, and you were holding back last night because of what happened, had we just been renting out the room for no reason and gone to bed like that you wouldn't have lasted five minutes without trying something." Mei said smugly as she listened to the huff Yuzu gave.

"You don't know that for sure, I can control myself when I want to. And I don't know why you are putting all the blame on me, you know you would want to do something as well; I mean doesn't me lying completely naked next to you in bed turn you on even a little?" Yuzu asked, her cheeks a little pink but getting the words out with sass all the same.

Mei could tell she was playing with her, she was impressed with how Yuzu had managed to say that without a giggle or a stutter. But she would have the final word on the topic and it was a no from the start, but that didn't mean she couldn't wind Yuzu up. After all, what Yuzu was describing; sleeping every night without clothes on would definitely make it difficult for her to sleep soundly when she had the blonde's hot body flush against her.

"Not in the slightest, now if you were to show me what you wanted me to do to you then maybe I would consider it. However, we both know that wouldn't happen and neither is this idea." Mei smiled, as Yuzu sat in silence for a moment and just as she thought she had won, Yuzu sat up straight removing her hand from Mei to sit in front of her.

"So me touching myself in front of you will turn you on?" A lecherous grin had made its way onto her face and Mei knew she had made a mistake... But then again the suggestion wasn't completely dislikeable.

"Let's leave this conversation for now, come sit back down?" Patting the space beside her, Mei patiently waited for her girlfriend to return to her side. Which after another moment of playful thoughts of the future she did, her hand snaking back to where she had it before.

"We are gonna have to leave soon ya know, so drink up!" Yuzu said as she tapped Mei's cup with her pinkie, motioning to the clock on the wall reading 09:26.

Eventually, the pair had gotten dressed checked out, returned home for a change of dress and to collect Mei's books. Now they were once again standing outside Mei's class saying goodbye for the day.

Yuzu was dressed unusually formal for a university student, wearing a pure white dress shirt tucked into her black skirt and tights along with black flats. Her hair tied up in a bun added to her sophisticated look.

"Have a good day and I'll be sure to message you when I'm home and what time I should be finishing when I find out okay?" Yuzu asked as she leaned against the wall, swaying her leg back and forth as she waited for Mei's reply.

"I will. Make sure you don't overwork yourself. Have a big lunch in case you don't get a chance to have dinner until you come home and be safe. If you get nervous about walking home just call me and I'll come and pick you up." Mei continued her version of a ramble, even though her voice was steady and she didn't appear to be nervous Yuzu knew better.

"I know, I know. You don't have to worry so much Mei, I've worked as a waitress before I'll be completely fine. Promise, you just have to make sure you're not late for your class and enjoy it." Smiling and gesturing behind Mei, Yuzu pointed to the familiar professor nearing the classroom.

With a quick look behind her to see what her girlfriend was pointing at, Mei quickly tightened her grip on her bag and turned back to Yuzu for a brief goodbye.

"You're welcome. Have a good day I love you," Yuzu grinned as she spoke in a light-hearted tone before placing a quick peck on Mei's cheek. Just in time for her lecturer to arrive next to her.

"I would appreciate my students in the room before I arrive Miss Aihara." Saying the few words before he stepped into the room and waited by the door for Mei, preparing to close it behind her.

"Right, sorry sir!" Not even saying a word to Yuzu Mei scurried into the classroom, looking back at Yuzu with an apologetic look but all she got was a large smile back.

"Alright, now that nobody is outside the door lets begin today's lesson." Wracking his knuckles over the podium front and centre, the older man began his lesson as Mei pulled her materials from her bag, still cursing herself for being late and caught by her lecturer. There were a few giggles at the comment, only furthering Mei's embarrassment.

For Yuzu, it was a long walk back home before she would soon have to leave again to be at her first day of work at twelve. She could feel the excitement coursing through her as she practically skipped home. Sure she was sad about not being able to see Mei, but this would go towards the first payment of Mei's engagement ring. And that was the most exciting thing for the blonde, the thought of being down on one knee asking Mei to marry her was the only motivation she needed.

She had toyed with the idea of taking out a credit card to pay for the ring outright but opted out of the idea when she realised she could just work for the year instead. If anything changed which would make it difficult for her to continue working the way she was then she thought she might consider it again. All Yuzu knew was that she wanted to propose to her girlfriend within the next year, whether it was through working her ass off or by taking out a loan. Either would work, all she needed to see was that sparkling ring on her girlfriend's finger come this time next year.

After grabbing something to eat as she had promised Mei she would, Yuzu straightened out her shirt a final time before heading back out the door.

As she had planned, Yuzu arrived at work just on time and after hanging her purse up in the back was given a waist-high apron and sent into the already somehow busy dining room.

After just arriving at twelve Yuzu was surprised to see several tables already being occupied.

The restaurant was no small feat, it was one of the leading restaurants in the city. Being two floors and far more than a thousand square metres, the decor was one that had initially and still currently amazed the blonde every time she entered the building.

She had briefly been in the kitchen when taking some dishes through on her training day but she had yet to properly inspect it's greatness.

"Good afternoon Aihara, nice to see you are looking so energetic for your first shift. Today you'll just be waiting, clearing and serving tables if you have any questions just ask one of the other members." Her boss said as he stood behind the main counter watching over his restaurant.

"As you know each waiter has a section which is their own responsibility, today you will be helping one of our other staff until you get a hang of things. We have several bookings this evening so make sure you get a good feel for the place before then." Giving a brief smile before he motioned to another young girl who looked to be of similar ages to Yuzu who was currently refilling a customers glass.

Nodding, Yuzu waited until she left the table before she approached the girl. She was just taller than Yuzu, hair pure black which contrasted her vibrant blue eyes. Her physique was one that would catch the eye of many and her smile warm.

"Hello, I'm Aihara Yuzuko but you can just call me Yuzu. I'm new here today and I was told that you would show me the ropes a little." Bowing after she finished, Yuzu was surprised to hear a laugh and a hand on her should pulling her back up.

"Yeah, I know who you are I was told I would be training you for a few days. The names Airi, this place is pretty awesome I think you'll like it here. And I can tell we are going to get on great." The young woman gave a bright grin to her new co-worker before motioning for her to follow her through to the back.

...

Mei waited at the kitchen table for the blonde to walk through the front door. Her dinner was waiting for her in the fridge and Mei was anxiously awaiting her arrival. It was past half eleven and she had received no word from Yuzu since lunch when she sent a message saying she was going back to work.

Mei, however, didn't want to appear clingy, she had said her piece before her lecture and now she had to let Yuzu decide what she wanted to do. But it was late and no matter how tired she grew while waiting for her girlfriend to arrive home, Mei refused to go to sleep until she was next to her.

Though she didn't have to wait much longer as just after quarter to twelve the front door clicked shut and Mei heard an exhausted sigh.

"I'm home," Yuzu whispered quietly into the apartment as she closed the door behind her, thinking maybe Mei would have already been asleep.

Quickly getting from the table Mei met Yuzu at the front door. She was sitting on the wooden lip splitting the hallway from the front door, her bag slumped on the floor and her shoes in the process of being pried off.

"Welcome home," Mei replied, her expression relaxing once she saw the blonde was safe and sound.

"Oh Mei, you're still awake?" Yuzu spun around, clearly not expecting Mei to still be awake. Seeing her partner, Yuzu jumped from her position on the floor to go and meet Mei.

"I wanted to be awake when you got home. How was it?" Mei asked as she showed Yuzu to the kitchen, getting her dinner and heating it up before placing it down in front of her.

"Awe thanks Mei, you know you don't have to make me dinner when I'm working? I could just get a sandwich or something when I get in." Yuzu said as she smiled at the full plate of food in front of her, it did look delicious but she didn't want to rely on Mei to make her food whenever she was working evenings.

However, she only received a scoff from Mei before she sat opposite her girlfriend and waited for her to answer the question.

Giving a nervous laugh at how quickly her comment had been brushed aside, Yuzu continued. "It was really good, I am being shown how to do everything by this girl named Airi and she's super nice and knows pretty much everything. It was super busy tonight though, my boss actually sent me away when the last table left so I didn't get to help cleaning everything up which Airi said usually takes about an hour at the end of the night. Which means when its busy like this I might not be home till late." Yuzu smiled as she ate, impressed with the quality of the food she was eating. Her energy seemingly restored at being in Mei's presence.

"I see, I'm glad you enjoyed it but why didn't you message me to say when you'd be finishing?" Mei asked, her fingers tracing the grain of the wooden table. She was expecting something along the lines of 'I forgot about it, or it was too busy' but she got a very different reply.

"Actually I couldn't tell you when I was finishing because I didn't know when I would be. At the restaurant, we have set starting times at night, so mines is five but we just work until it either gets quite or until everything is cleaned up." Yuzu said nervously, not sure Mei would be happy with the news but having to tell her all the same.

"I see. Well if that's the way things have to be then there isn't anything I can really do. But maybe if you know if gonna be busy or you will be a while longer, try and send me a message when you get five minutes." Mei said in a low tone as she kept her neutral expression.

Yuzu only nodded her head as she looked at Mei, not knowing what else she should say.

"That was great Mei, thanks for making it. I'm going to go for a quick shower and then jump into bed, I'm super tired." Yuzu said as she stood up from the table to place her dish in the sink.

"Very well, don't be too long," Mei said as she stood up and walked down the hall to their bedroom, being followed after by the blonde.

"I won't, I promise." Grabbing her pyjamas, Yuzu left the room and made her way for a quick shower before she was soon walking back into the bedroom. Feeling much more refreshed than when she had arrived home. Seeing Mei already lying down under the covers clearly wanting to be asleep as soon as possible.

Ruffling up her hair as fast as possible with the towel, Yuzu scootched in behind Mei and flopped down on her back, arm resting over her eyes letting out a sigh at finally being able to lie down.

It had been an exhausting seven hours for the blonde, her feet were sore and her back much the same, but she couldn't wipe the smile from her face.

"Hey Mei?" Yuzu asked as she turned on her side facing Mei's back, her fingers tracing down it.

"Yes?" Not moving her position, Mei replied, her words quiet in the bedroom.

"I'm sorry if I'm not gonna be home a lot, but I promise I'll be worth it in the end." Yuzu smiled as she drew herself closer and wrapped her arm over the small waist.

"I wouldn't know, you won't tell me what all this is for so I can't say if it is or not."

"You can't make me feel guilty for not telling you Mei, the whole point of a surprise is that you don't know." Yuzu laughed as she pulled Mei flush against her and kissed her neck.

"Are you sure? Because I'm sure if I really wanted to I could. I mean for all I know you have been out partying all night, leaving me at home... all alone, with no one to talk to just waiting for you to return." Mei said, her voice sad as she spoke, drawing out her words to emphasise them, but the smirk on her lips couldn't be disguised.

"Mei that's mean, you know I feel bad about leaving you here alone." Yuzu moaned as she nuzzled her face into the back of her girlfriend's neck.

"Well if you told me what this was for then I would understand and therefore I wouldn't get lonely whilst you are away."

"Mei I can't, it's important and it'll only be special if you don't know until I'm ready for you to know." Yuzu complained, she really did want to tell Mei and she really did want to ask her the big question, but she didn't have the ring yet which meant she couldn't.

"I know, but it would be nice if it wasn't going to take so long. I mean a year is a long time for you to be working so hard and me not knowing what it is all for." Mei said, turning in the blonde's embrace.

"... I just don't like surprises, you know that." Mei said as she looked into the bright emeralds, seeing the look of consideration cross them.

"Well maybe I could cut down the time it will take, but I would still have to work to pay it back. Obviously not as much but..." Yuzu rambled but soon ran out of words to say as she began thinking of her options in her head. Maybe taking out a loan would be the best way to get her the ring.

"Yuzu stop," Mei's words brought Yuzu from her thoughts, the words followed by a hand on her cheek, softly cupping it in the dark room.

"Yuzu you don't need to change your plans for me, I was only messing with you. Forget I said anything, I'm glad you like working and I can deal with some late nights if it makes you happy." Mei smiled, her eyes warm as she looked into Yuzu's who's had widened slightly at her words. Placing a gentle kiss on her lips, Mei gave another smile her blush visible on her cheeks when she pulled back.

"It's long past twelve Yuzu, we need to get to sleep. Goodnight." Mei said before Yuzu could reply to her, brushing her nose over the blonde's chest, as she placed a kiss to the skin.

"Yeah, you're right. goodnight Mei, I love you." Kissing the top of her head, Yuzu wrapped her arms around Mei to hold her tight but her mind still seemed to waver on their conversation. Should she really make Mei wait so long for her to get the ring when she could have it in a fraction of the time?

With her energy wasting away with the warm sheets surrounding her and Mei snuggled up close, Yuzu found it more and more difficult to keep her mind focused. Within minutes her eyes were closed, her thoughts drifting off as she tucked her face down into the top of Mei's head.

The conversation would surely be something Yuzu would be thinking about in the coming days and weeks.

* * *

 _ **Thank you all for reading, and as usual, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and let me know what your thoughts are. :)**_


	41. Meeting the Family

**Please note this chapter takes place about a month after the previous one. We are also bringing Willow back in this chapter so I hope you enjoy her revival.**

* * *

Yuzu lay panting on the bed, beads of sweat running down her temples as kisses were placed along her neck.

"H-how are you so fucking good at that?" Yuzu asked, just coming down from what must have been her seventh or eighth orgasm that morning. She had woken up with Mei between her legs and had been in a similar position ever since. In those hours Yuzu had been in an endless stream of pleasure as as soon as she was finished one orgasm Mei would start on her next, never giving the blonde more than two minutes to recuperate.

"You exaggerate, you are just sensitive," Mei replied as though it was obvious, her eyes flicking to the clock to see the time.

"You only have an hour before you have to be at work, I think I could fit in one more and you'd still be there on time," Mei said, more to herself than Yuzu.

With the blonde flush on her back, Mei was leaning on her elbows over her, her fingers tracing the clammy shoulders as she raised her eyebrow. Yuzu, however, quickly pulled back from Mei's lips that came down to meet hers after a moment more of thought.

"No more, I can't go again. I'm already exhausted and I still have to work all afternoon and tonight. I don't even think I can stand up straight." Yuzu whined through her still uneven breathing. As much as she would have liked to spend more hours in bed with her girlfriend, Yuzu knew if she stood right now her legs would give out from under her. It was Saturday, the busiest night of the week, Yuzu couldn't afford to be tired and make mistakes today of all days.

"That just means I've done my job right." Mei smiled but heard the blonde's words all the same.

"What's gotten into you this morning?" Yuzu asked after she saw Mei reluctantly pull back and move onto her side after pulling her night-shirt over her head.

"Does there have to be a reason for me to sleep with you?" Mei's voice held some offence to it, but Yuzu could only stifle a chuckle as she replied.

"That many times, usually." Also moving to her side so she could face Mei, Yuzu gave a weak smile.

"Seriously Mei, you can't tell me all that was just cuz you were in the mood because you wouldn't even let me make you cum." Yuzu quired, quirking her eyebrow up as she moved her face closer to Mei's, her eyes wide with curiosity as she watched Mei think of her answer. What she said was true; no matter how hard she tried to persuade Mei into letting her have a break and return the favour every time she was turned down.

"I... Don't have to explain myself or my actions." Mei began strongly, however quickly found herself not knowing what to say. With her shorts still on as Yuzu had not been allowed to -or given the chance to- remove them, Mei rolled over and out the bed, turning her blushing cheeks from the blonde. But she didn't quite make it off the bed as two arms wrapped around her waist keeping Mei in place on the edge of the mattress.

"I'm sorry, don't be mad!" Yuzu cried out, hoping she hadn't made her girlfriend mad when she had only meant to ask if everything was okay. When she realised that Mei had indeed stopped her advancements towards the door, she gently pulled her back onto the centre of the mattress. "I didn't mean to be annoying, you are just acting a little out of character today." Yuzu smiled as she rolled Mei over onto her back and leaned over her to place a few kisses to the still pink cheeks.

"There is nothing wrong, I have just seen less and less of you in the past couple weeks, and you've been working none stop the past two days and when your not working your at school. I just wanted some... attention I guess. I've missed this, I mean it's not like you have the energy for it when you get in from work." Directing her eyes away from the blonde's as she spoke Mei confessed the reasons behind her extra affections.

A large grin made its way over Yuzu's lips as she listened to her girlfriend, "Awe Mei that's so cute!" Yuzu squealed as she wrapped her arms around Mei's neck and leaned down for another kiss. It was brief, but the warm contact sent butterflies through both their stomachs.

"You know It's not gonna get any easier? my working rota is the same pretty much every week." Brushing her nose across the tip of Mei's, Yuzu gave a sympathetic smile. She was acutely aware of the lack of time she was spending with her girlfriend. Sure they slept in the same bed every night and woke up together, but that just wasn't the same as being able to spend the afternoon with the other or going out for dinner or even just being in the others company.

As Mei had promised herself she waited up every night no matter how late it got to make sure Yuzu got home safe, but some nights as soon as she heard the blonde walk through the front door she would fall asleep instantly. This left little room for conversations at night as both were tired and just wanted to go to sleep when they finally saw the other.

Yet it wasn't all doom and gloom for Yuzu, she was thoroughly enjoying working so far. It was a tackle to get a handle on everything to start with, but now she knew the job like the back of her hand. It was a happy and enjoyable workplace that she could see herself working in for months to come.

She had even earned enough so far that she had made her first payment towards Mei's engagement ring. That was a feeling Yuzu didn't know how to describe, being one month closer to having the velvet box in her pocket was something she could only describe as true happiness.

"I know and I'm not complaining, I just wanted a morning with you. Which I got... You are going to be late if you don't hurry up." Mei stated, not seeing the point in dragging out the pointless conversation. She had no intention of making the blonde feel guilty for their lack of contact, she got what she needed -Yuzu- there was nothing more to it.

Leaning her body up to see the clock, Yuzu nodded her head in agreement. "Yup you are right. I gotta go shower." Smiling, Yuzu moved herself off Mei and after finding the pyjamas Mei had taken off her earlier, slipped out of the sheets; Only just grabbing herself on the edge if the bed with her hands as her knees buckled slightly. Laughing nervously as she allowed several seconds to get used to the weight on her momentarily weak legs, Yuzu glanced up to see Mei smiling smugly at her.

...

When Yuzu came rushing into the kitchen/dining room she was met with Mei sitting at the table, coffee in hand. Quickly filling up a mug of coffee and popping two pieces of bread in the toaster before she rapidly started drying her hair. There was little under a half-hour until twelve, meaning Yuzu still had fifteen minutes until she had to leave.

"Will you stop moving so fast? You still have time." Mei asked as she nipped the bridge of her nose, brain hurting at watching Yuzu wiz back and forwards.

"Oh sorry, I just don't wanna be late." Grabbing her toast from the toaster Yuzu smeared butter over it before sitting opposite Mei at the table a large smile as she couldn't help but admire the woman sitting across from her. How she had managed to snag thee _Mei Aihara_ still occasionally baffled her, she was beautiful, intelligent, kind and considerate -To Yuzu-.

"Grandfather has said a guest is coming over next weekend, he won't tell me who it is only that I must be there to welcome them. Would it be possible for you to get the weekend off work to accompany me?" Mei asked, looking somewhat nervous as she made the request.

"Umm in not sure if I'll be able to get the whole weekend off... I can ask for Saturday and Sunday afternoon if that'd be enough?" Her finger moving to her chin as she thought what her boss would allow her to take off so suddenly. Saturday was the busiest night of the week, but she hasn't taken a day off since she started so maybe she would be allowed.

"Why didn't Gramps say who it was?" Through chewing her toast Yuzu asked. It seemed more than a little out of character for him to keep something like this to himself.

"He said if he told me I wouldn't come, and apparently it is essential that I'm there. So I will just have to wait and see." Mei's voice was one of disbelief as she rolled her eyes, thinking her grandfather was just being childish by implying she would act so improper. Yuzu, however, chuckled at Mei's words.

"Yeah, that does kinda sound like you though, I have to give him credit for that." Grinning, Yuzu couldn't help but give the man a few points thinking about that.

"Awe comon' don't scowl at me, I love you really." Yuzu teased, the words not shaking the look from Mei's face.

"I think it's time you leave for work." Turning her head completely from the laughing blonde in front of her, Mei was ready for the conversation to end. She had already had the argument with her grandfather about her not caring who it would be, she was not going to do it with Yuzu as well.

"Fine, I'll leave." Humphing as she stood from the table, Yuzu patiently waited for Mei to turn around and apologise; She didn't. When she realised that she had probably upset the younger girl with what she had said, Yuzu moved behind her and laced her arms over her shoulders. Leaning down over Mei's shoulder and nuzzled her face into the girl's neck as she layed several kisses to the soft skin.

"I'm sorry Mei, I didn't mean to upset you... Please don't ignore me..." When she didn't get an immediate response Yuzu gave a soft squeeze to the girl's arms and lightly rocked her from side to side.

"I'm not mad, but you do need to leave." Her response did seem a little forced but Yuzu took that as a win compared to the times where she would be outright ignored.

"Okay, I'll see you soon then." Planting a big kiss to the girl's cheek, Yuzu backed away and after picking up her purse and jacket left. Leaving Mei alone for the fifth weekend.

Just after the blonde had left the apartment, Mei had gotten from the table and went back through to their bedroom as she did every weekend since Yuzu had started working. Retrieved her books from her desk before going through to the study. It wasn't the best-litten room or the most spacious, but when the house was empty it was the only place Mei didn't feel completely alone. She spent her afternoons there and when Yuzu left for her evening and night work Mei would return to the room for the seven hours Yuzu would usually be gone for.

For most, it might have seemed like some sort of isolation, but for Mei, it gave her something to do in a place where she wasn't constantly reminded of the blonde's absence. After all, this was the only room in the house where Yuzu spent very little time. There were fewer memories for her to relate to when she was sitting at the desk doing paperwork.

It may have seemed like five weeks wasn't that long to go without seeing her partner much on the weekends, but from spending next to every moment with her it was proving to be quite the adjustment. The first week Mei bathed in the freedom and quietness, the second she did much the same. But the quietness soon became the thing she tried to avoid, she welcomed the cheery voice and the noise.

And as usual, the afternoon went by relatively fast, with plenty of notes done by the time Yuzu arrived home. After welcoming the blonde back and sitting down to have lunch, Yuzu returned to their earlier conversation.

"So I asked my boss about next weekend and he said that should be fine." Yuzu smiled brightly as she relayed her good news. "Which means we can both go and see the person you don't like together." Teasing the younger girl, Yuzu couldn't help but giggle when she saw Mei roll her eyes.

"I don't know why you think I wouldn't go just because I didn't like someone," Mei argued, but Yuzu had her argument well prepared and the cocky smile on her face told Mei she was very confident in her next words.

"Oh yeah? What if I asked you to go and have coffee with Matsuri this afternoon, would you go and be polite?" Her grin so wide it was almost unsettling, Yuzu playfully tapped her fingers off the wooden table. She watched as Mei's brow furrowed and her teeth visibly clenched.

"If there was some reason why I had to then I think I could force myself." Though her body language clearly contradicted her words, Mei continued to stick to her argument. It had been several weeks since the whole ordeal with their younger friend, but Mei still held it against her. The week it happened Yuzu and Mei received the two girls at their front door and Yuzu had to physically stop Mei from leaping onto the pinkette out of rage. The young girl had explained herself and apologised several times for what she did. Even if the couple weren't told of the details that occurred outside the restaurant, both were very much aware of the harm it had caused.

Yuzu being the kind and loving person she is, had forgiven Matsuri on the spot and after a minor lecture about buying unsafe products had invited the two to stay for dinner. Mei, however, was still coming to terms with it. She could still remember the events clearly in her mind if she thought about it and it was all because of one immature child. Though with some begging from Yuzu and several more apologies from Matsuri and Harumi Mei was finally starting to speak to younger girl again, that didn't mean she had completely forgotten about it.

"I'm sure you would," Smirking, Yuzu got from the table and placed a quick kiss to Mei's cheek before going to the couch. Mei was quick to follow as she sat down next to her girlfriend and refused to move from her side until she had to leave again for work.

"It's my turn to stay behind and help clean everything up tonight so I won't be home until late. You don't have to stay up for me, after all, I have no idea when I'll be home. It'll probably be sometime around one I think." Edging off the couch as Yuzu looked at the time, sighing as she moved out of Mei's company to a standing position.

Placing her book down on, Mei looked up to her girlfriend who at the moment was wearing a weary smile, "Then I'll stay up until quarter past one when you arrive home." Mei said it matter of factly. Yuzu still didn't like taking the car to work as she said it was a waste of money and bad for the environment, so at this moment she was still walking home from work. Given that little to no incidents happened where they lived but that didn't mean Mei couldn't be a little cautious when her girlfriend was walking home in the early hours of the morning.

"Don't worry, it isn't a bother for me. You are going to be late if you don't hurry up," Mei said as she picked up her book again and waited for Yuzu to leave. "If you're sure... I'll see you later, I love you!" Giving a loud mushy kiss to Mei's reddening cheek before she grabbed her coat and keys, Yuzu shouted a final goodbye into the apartment before she closed and locked the door behind her.

The next few hours Mei had spent reading her book before making something small and simple for her dinner. Yuzu had informed her it wasn't necessary for her to make her dinner as every night she worked she was allowed to bring food home for herself. As expected Mei wasn't fond of this idea either, but Yuzu had assured that she would just be having rice and a sauce, nothing exceptionally unhealthy.

Washing her dished before she returned to the study for what would be several more hours of study. As expected it was a long night before Yuzu returned home, Yuzu washed up quickly for bed and joined Mei beneath the sheets where she was only just managing to stay awake until her girlfriend returned home.

...

The week had passed quickly for both girls, Yuzu always felt as though the week went by so fast with school and work, it was a greeting when the weekend came and she didn't have to think about being at lectures on time. It was currently Saturday morning and as planned the two were preparing to make the journey down to their grandfather's house for this surprise guest.

"So are we staying the night or just over for the afternoon?" Yuzu asked as she spat her toothpaste into the sink and washed off her brush, contemplating whether she would need to bring it or not.

"No I don't think so, just this afternoon and we will most likely stay for dinner but that is all," Mei replied as she similarly put her toothbrush away and started on her hair. She had only been asked to come over to meet this person and nothing more.

It wasn't long before they were both leaving the house with Yuzu in the drivers stop. It was almost as if she was the designated driver of the house as it was rare for Mei to drive unless Yuzu was incapable of doing so. It was a casual thing, Yuzu always seemed to pick the driver's seat over the passenger's seat.

It wasn't long before they arrived at Mei's old home, well the time passed quickly for Yuzu, but for Mei, it was an endless questionnaire about who she may have a vendetta against. Who was the mystery man they were coming to meet? Yuzu seemed very excited to find out, Mei, however, seemed much more reserved about the whole thing.

They were met at the door by the butler of the house who greeted Mei with a smile, "Good morning Miss, I hope your journey here was relaxing." The elderly man smiled, not sure of the meaning behind the side look Mei shot Yuzu at his words.

"It was many things, relaxing was not one of them." Yuzu stifled a giggle, as she tied her hands behind her back to give off an innocent impression. The well-dressed man being forced to shrug off the interaction as he motioned inside.

"Mr Aihara is waiting for you in his study, he said he would like to speak with you alone before you meet your guest. I would be happy to bring your friend some tea while she waists," Closing the door behind the two, the man took both their coats before waiting for Mei's verdict. Looking at the coat hook Mei noticed another woman coat, so it wasn't a he was here to meet but a woman.

"Very well, I can find my own way to the study, please take Yuzu to one of the lounges I'll be there shortly... Please don't cause any trouble." Mei nodded to the man before turning to Yuzu with a serious expression. "Honestly, what bother could I make while I'm drinking tea with your butler?" Yuzu laughed, but Mei only shook her head. "Knowing you you'd find something." After saying her last words, Mei began walking down the hall and soon she was out of sight leaving Yuzu and the elderly man alone.

"Miss Aihara's guest is currently in our first lounge, would you like to join them?" Turning to Yuzu, the man continued, already leading her down an opposite hall from the one Mei had just taken.

"Are you sure that's allowed? I mean if Mei isn't allowed to see them shouldn't I wait until she's here? If it's a business partner I don't think she would want me meeting them first." Yuzu rambled out, not thinking she should be the first one to meet her girlfriends guest. However, her thoughts where quickly put to rest as they came to a halt outside a large door.

"Do not worry my dear, Miss Aihara's guest is a family member. Mr Aihara just wanted to talk to her so she would not leave straight away upon meeting her. You are more than welcome to come and meet Miss Scott," Smiling the man waited with his hand on the handle waiting for the blonde to give the okay for him to open the door.

Yuzu was both surprised to hear that the person they where here to meet was Mei's family, but that the entire house seemed to be aware of Mei's dislike towards her. That along with the name Scott, Yuzu wasn't aware MEI had any foreign family. Giving a nod of her head Yuzu walked into the room and was announced by the Butler.

"Miss Scott, this is Miss Aihara she will be joining you for the moment," After he was finished the man closed the door behind the pair leaving the two completely alone in the large room.

"Hi," Yuzu said nervously as she stood at the door where she had been left, looking in amazement at the blonde sitting before her. She was, in fact, forgive Yuzu could tell that just by the blonde hair, and when she spoke Yuzu seemed mesmerised by the Scottish accent that came through her flawless Japanese.

"Good morning, I'm willow, but you are not Mei?" Yuzu could see that the girl was confused by her being introduced with her new last name, if this girl was family then surely she should have known that Shou had remarried and had a stepdaughter.

"Oh well, that's a bit of a long, complicated story. I'm Mei's girlfriend...but ehh also her stepsister. My Mama married her dad when we were sixteen, so that's how I became an Aihara, but Mei's my girlfriend. I can tell you probably don't approve, but-" Yuzu cheeks reddened in embarrassment. She always found it so difficult to explain her and Mei's relationship to other people, yet she was cut off with a smile and a laugh.

"You don't have to be so nervous you know? Come and sit down, you can tell me all about it. I never would have thought Mei would be one to have a girlfriend though it'll be good to get some gossip before she turns up. And in case you are wondering, I'm Mei's cousin." With a grin so bright Yuzu couldn't help but smile back, the two soon delved deep into conversation.

To Yuzu this girl seemed amazing, she couldn't think of anything that would make Mei dislike the girl as much as she allegedly did, but she would soon find out as it wouldn't be long before Mei would join them.

...

Assuming she had gone to the main lounge to wait, Mei continued her sluggish walk there only to slow even more when a familiar giggle sounded through the hall. A giggle that she hadn't heard in years but still recognised in an instant had her frozen in place as she tried to figure out if Yuzu was with the girl or if she could escape without having to say hello.

Obviously, it wasn't exactly polite for Mei to hope she could avoid the run-in with the girl, but she thought her reasons were more than justified. She had informed her grandfather that she had no reason to meet with the girl and had planned to find Yuzu and go.

But as she dreaded, Yuzu's loud laugh came shortly after and she was left with no other choice but to enter the room to hopefully retrieve her girlfriend and leave as fast as possible.

Sighing Mei rubbed her temple before walking into the room. The movement of the door catching the attention of both girls who Mei saw sitting on the plush sofa. Yuzu's expression lit up at seeing her girlfriend again, but Mei barely managed a smile as her focus was on looking over her old 'friend'.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY CUZ!" The congratulations came as a shout and along with it came two arms wrapped around her neck in a tight embrace.

A woman head hight with Mei, natural blonde wavy locks flowed halfway down her back, a figure of that which was showcased in magazines and eyes that matched Mei's; perhaps they were a shade lighter.

Her Scottish accent showed strongly through her fluent Japanese as she greeted her cousin. Something Yuzu found greatly interesting and extreme delight in listening to.

"We are not cousins Willow, and my birthday was last month." Mei's voice came out naturally cold as she peeled the slender, but surprisingly strong limbs from around her neck.

Eventually getting the woman off her, Mei took several steps towards Yuzu who was looking a little confused at the moment. Most likely because Willow had no doubt told her girlfriend that they were cousins, plus her rather monotone reaction to their guest.

"Yeah yeah I know, but I got delayed by some things or I would have been here last month to see you. And hey, don't lie, we are cousins!" The scot whined as she pouted her plump, gloss covered lips, hands coming to rest on her hips as she eyed the couple.

"Mei?" Yuzu's voice stopped Mei's growingly cold stare she was giving, turning it soft as she shifted to look at Yuzu.

"Willow is my Grandfather's Grandfather's second sons sons sons daughter. Her father Atomu, moved to Scotland when he was in his twenties, met a woman and that's where Willow came from. When my mother left me when I was five, father left shortly after and I was with Grandfather for a short while, however, several weeks later Willow and her father offered to take me in, back to Scotland with them. Apparently, he and my father were good friends from business anyway, and after he heard what had happened came to help. Claiming we were family and he couldn't just leave me alone." Mei recited the information to Yuzu who furrowed her brow at the information.

She never did like hearing about Mei's mother, it made her so mad! Who would willingly leave their daughter, especially one as amazing as Mei?

Yuzu looked back to her newly acquired friend to see her nodding in agreement.

"But you told me you grew up with Gramps?" Yuzu asked, even more confused by that than trying to work out what Willow actually was to Mei.

"I did. I refused their offer, but they decided to stay anyway. Grandfather also knew Atomu so he was happy to let him stay with us, after almost two months her mother came over as well and they lived here for almost six years before moving back to Scotland. I kept in touch with them through Grandfather and business associates but nothing more and over the years I lost contact with them." Mei said all this with a sour spin on her words.

Yuzu was stood in amazement, this girl was practically Mei's sister.

"So she's not your cousin but your sister cuz you got to know each other so well?" Yuzu's excited voice rang out as she jumped a little in place, but her idea was immediately shot down.

"I'm afraid not Yuzu, Mei won't even let me call her my cousin never mind her sister. She's always been distant with me, at first I thought she was just sad cuz ya know her mum and dad left, but even as the years went on she still kept her cold walls up. It made me so sad." As she said this she had a remorseful look on her face, but it quickly changed into her cheesily smile.

"But I still haven't given up!" Yuzu grinned at this girls enthusiasm, she really did remind her of herself.

Unsure why Mei had failed to ever even mention this part of her family, Yuzu could only imagine Mei's reasons. Willow seemed like a bright girl from where Yuzu was standing, but from past experiences, Mei didn't seem to take to people often.

"Anyway I know why you never liked spending time with me," a cocky grin crept it's way onto her face as she turned to face Mei again, being met with an even colder glare.

"And what would that be?"

"Jealousy." A sure nod later from the platinum blonde and Mei narrowed her eyes so far Yuzu was beginning to wonder if she should leave for her own safety.

Her mouth opened to retort to the words but Mei couldn't bring herself to argue; She was right.

"Let's go home." The words more of a demand than a question or statement, Mei began walking towards the door confident that Yuzu would follow.

"Awe Mei, I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you upset. Please just talk to me, I came all the way here to see you again," Willow pleaded childishly as she practically ran to Mei and took hold of her arm.

"Please don't touch me," Slipping her arm free of her slightly older family member, Mei's glower softened slightly, but still cold enough that no sain person would initiate a conversation.

"Thank you for the birthday wishes and I appreciate you making the journey here but that is it. I have to get home I have some things to take care of... Yuzu." Mei paused at the end, giving Willow one last look before turning to Yuzu, motioning to the door with her hand. But again she was stopped by a blonde, only this time it was one she was more than familiar with.

"Babe C'mon, you don't have a class until tomorrow afternoon I'm sure you have time to stay for a catch-up, or we could even stay the night and I'll drive us home tomorrow morning?" Now at Mei's side, Yuzu gave a warm smile while she waited for Mei to speak but they were brought out of their conversation at the sound of laughing.

"Haha... 'Babe?'" Willows laughter filled the room and Mei felt her chest tighten. "Never would I have thought that Mei would ever let someone call her 'babe' and get out of it alive!" A burst of laughter filled the room again and Yuzu, who had a slight blush on her cheeks, could see where she was coming from. It did seem a little bizarre that Mei let her call her that, along with some other random cute little nicknames she came up with randomly.

"My personal life is of no concern to you," Gritty, salty words were spat out of Mei's mouth and she turned to leave the room, this time not stopping when she heard the new arrival try and stop her.

"Sorry about her, I'm ehh not too sure what's going on here but I'll talk to her. Here's my number, it was great meeting you!" Scribbling down the numbers on a piece of paper, Yuzu gave the girl a fleeting smile as she tried to rush after her girlfriend who was now nowhere in sight.

Bolting out the door, Yuzu just managed to see her girlfriend's hair before she disappeared around the corner that lead to the front door.

Running, Yuzu made up the distance relatively fast, and by the time Mei was walking down the stairs of the porch, Yuzu was in front of her trying to get her to stop.

"Mei slow down, what's going on here? She's your cousin or something like that, why are you being so rude to her? She came from Scotland to see you!" Lunging to a stop, Yuzu managed to get Mei to stop on the gravel just a few feet from their car.

"Yuzu I'm not fighting you on this, move out of my way and get in the car." Her voice sterner than ever, Mei had one sole purpose which was getting home right now.

After a few moments of consideration, Yuzu moved out of Mei's way and walked around to her side of the car. By the time she got there Mei was already sitting with her seatbelt on and ready to go, clearly not wanting to be here for any longer than she had to.

"...Mei?" Silence filled the car before Yuzu finally managed to break the tension, hoping her girlfriend would at least explain to her what was going on.

All she got was a sigh in response ere gesturing to the road, making it clear that she wasn't going to speak until they were on their way home.

Driving was not something Yuzu wanted to do at the moment, she poured all her attention into figuring out her girlfriend's expression. Sure over the years of them being together it got easier, but Mei was a mystery through and through. You had a better chance of winning the lottery than figuring that shit out.

"Will you stop watching me?" Her voice came loud through the silence of the car and Yuzu flicked her eyes back to the steering wheel, a light cough to take from the awkwardness.

"Umm... are you going to explain at all?" Yuzu tentatively asked as she forced herself to keep her eyes away from her girlfriend.

"Does it really need any explaining? You met her you know who she is, I don't have anything else to say about her. She is a distant family member, I have no business relations with her so there is no need to continue the relationship."

"You don't have business relations with me so does that mean we don't need to have a relationship? Hmm, what about Mama, she doesn't have any business with you and yet you still talk and associate with her?" Yuzu knew what she was saying was pushing buttons that should have been left well alone for a while, but she wanted answers. Proper ones.

She got a quick catch up of who this girl was but she didn't know why Mei was being so cruel towards her. Or what she had been 'jealous' of her over, along with why in five years of a relationship she had failed to mention that she practically had a sister for seven years.

A growl could be heard and Yuzu instantly regretted what she said. "That is completely different. Mother took me and treated me like her own daughter, you are my significant other. Both of which rules you two out of what I just said." Her tone was slowly becoming colder the more she spoke, but Yuzu couldn't find it within herself to let this fude go on. They were family and Yuzu knew Willow was a great and genuine girl just by meeting with her for a short while, she really wanted to at least try and fix this broken relationship.

"They did that too though, right? When you were left alone they came and took you in. Surely Willow's Mum and Dad would have treated you as their own, you were _five!_... I just don't get why you were being so mean to her when you clearly mean so much to her... Did she do something to you when you lived together?" Yuzu's raised voice dwindled down when she considered that maybe something had happened to Mei to induce this deep dislike for the girl.

"Listen: my mother all but walked out on me then and I haven't heard from her since. Father left months later due to grief and only just recently came back, I was five, I was upset, mad, full of hatred but I still loved them. She was my mother, who raised me for years and he loved me unconditionally, I refused to let some random family come into my life and try and replace them... Even if I knew that mine wasn't ever coming home." Mei's voice grew weak as she spoke, bitter hurtful memories from the past pulling at her heart.

Yuzu felt her own heart clench at her girlfriend's pain. She could see the pain and sadness in her eyes, but before she could even attempt to comfort her Mei spoke up after quickly drying her eyes.

"Willow was their daughter and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't beat her at anything. No matter what the subject was she always seemed to excel in it more than me, she always got the praise from her parents and no matter how hard they may have tried I was always watching from the outside. Instead of trying to be part of something I knew I wasn't I decided to avoid them, there was no point in me trying as whenever I did I was never good enough. Not for my mother, not for my father, not for Atomu or Jane and no matter how hard I tried I was never good enough to be Willow's equal." Mei had tears streaming down her cheeks at the painful words she spoke, the feeling that had haunted her for years was being relived and she hated it.

Mei heard the click of a seatbelt before she felt warm arms wrap around her. Holding her tight against her chest, Yuzu held her arms around her back while she let Mei tuck her face into the crook of her neck, her cries hurting Yuzu's heart as she listened to her childhood heartbreak.

"Hey, it's all okay. You Mei, are amazing, brilliant and loved. You are more than good enough for me, I love you more than anything. Mama and Papa they both love you too..." Letting the soft words escape her lips as she placed a few soft kisses the back of Mei's head, Yuzu tried to soothe her by combing her fingers through her hair and making soft 'shushing' noise to calm her down.

Gently rocking them back and forth, Yuzu felt her guilt build even more. Why did she have to push Mei to the point where she was in tears, again.

Within a few minutes, Mei had stopped her tears and moved out of Yuzu's grasp to fix herself up. She could say she felt like a muppet right now. Crying over things that happened so long ago and seemed so childish in Mei's eyes, it was not something she really wanted Yuzu to see.

Jealousy was not an attractive trait and she did not think Yuzu would appreciate or understood when she said that she didn't want to spend time with Willow because she always managed to outshine her. It didn't matter what it was, Mathematics, Literacy, science, business or even simpler kiddy things such as arts or even making friends. She always had Mei beat.

Anything she tried to do and show her 'parents' Willow always produced something better than her. Pop quizzes - she scored higher, Test's and exams - Her grade was always second best, Friends - She had one to rival an army of Willow's.

Now, of course, Willow's parents never meant to outcast Mei the way they did, it was just subtle things but they meant a great deal to a young girl who had already been through so much.

Yuzu sat back into her seat and let Mei think for a moment, Yuzu reached a hand over the gearstick and took hold of Mei hand. Noticing the small trembling it was doing, Yuzu tried to calm it by laying small patterns on the hot skin.

"You don't have to be ashamed or anything Mei. I might not fully understand how you felt then, but you excel in loads of things, always scoring the highest in school and even in university all of your assignments have been in the nineties. You don't have to compare yourself to her, you just have to be you." Yuzu tried to coax the girl into speaking, hoping her words were doing anything in the ways of comforting her still sniffling girlfriend.

She didn't get a reply but the grip on her hand told Yuzu that Mei was listening to her.

"I'm sorry Mei if I'd known I wouldn't have pushed you like that..." Yuzu mumbled the apology, now wishing they were closer to home so Mei would feel more comfortable.

"You can't apologise for asking, you were curious and nothing could have helped it. Anyway if you wouldn't mind I would appreciate some silence," Mei's voice came rather solemnly as she let go of Yuzu's hand to stare out the window.

Knowing better than to push, Yuzu allowed herself to be freed and let the car sink into quiet. They were still sitting outside the grand house, Yuzu still hoped she could persuade Mei into going back inside to try again. Though it did seem rather pointless at this point as Mei continued to sit in silence.

Cursing under her breath Yuzu reached for Mei again when she saw her wiping the back of her hand across her eyes to dismiss the tears forming there.

"Hey?..." Edging closer to Mei to be able to plant her hands firmly on her shoulders, Yuzu spoke softly as she tried to get Mei to look at her.

"I'm fine, it is just not part of my past that brings back the happiest of memories for me." Mei gave a reassuring squeeze to her girlfriend's hand.

"I know you don't want to talk about it, but I just have to know... Even if she did outshine you when you were younger, Willow seems like a really nice person and I can't see her intentionally being malicious or mean to you... what I'm asking is why do you hate her so much?" Yuzu's voice was small as she asked her question knowing it was slightly too soon to be prying and more information from Mei, but wanting answers none the less.

"I do not hate her Yuzu, I love her, in my own way. I hate that I could never be better than her, but she is a nice person. Caring, gentle, smart, extremely outgoing and generous... A lot like you, but she can also be one to tease too much, she's competitive, fueled to win and always has to be right. I lived with her for seven years, it would be impossible not to feel something for her during that time, but her presence is only a reminder that I was abandoned by everyone apart from my Grandfather and lived as the second-best for the better part of my childhood. It's not that I don't care or appreciate her coming here, but I would rather let the past stay in the past." Mei spoke quickly as she ushered the words who Yuzu to wore a sorrowful look as she listened.

"You know I'll do what you want, if you don't want to meet her again then we don't have to... but it's clear that she cares a lot for you, who knows maybe now that your life is a little more... stable, that you would like getting to know her. I mean it's still morning and you did say that we would be staying until dinner. Would it not be better to at least try and get to know her again? I mean she seemed really nice when I was speaking to her, and she really seemed to miss you." Yuzu gave a hopeful smile and Mei could see that she was hoping she would say yes, as it was clear that Yuzu had taken a liking to the blonde.

Mei stayed silent for a moment longer before she dried her eyes of any remaining tear and wiped her hand over her long skirt. "Very well, you might be right. Does she know about us?" Mei replied, seemingly having centred her thoughts as her voice took it's normal -when with Yuzu- gentle tone.

"Yeah, I kinda had to after your butler introduced me as Miss Aihara, but she's completely okay with it. I explained it to her and she thought it was cute. So are you ready to go back inside to talk with her?" Yuzu asked a final time as she opened her door and waited for Mei to do the same.

"I am," Opening her door, Mei got out of the car and took a deep breath as she eyes the house from the bottom of the stairs.

* * *

 **And here we have another chapter, I liked this one and I hope you guys did as well. I l have a chapter planned where Willow, Jasmin and Matsuri will all be there together along with Yuzu and Mei so I'm setting the scene for that now. I'm thinking a couples game night - evil laugh ;)**

 **Anyway let me know what you thought and I can't wait to hear what you thought. :)**


	42. Staying the night

**Okay so thank you for coming to read this chapter, and sorry for the wait. This is a little bit of a spoiler for the chapter but ama say it anyways.** I **have written this fiction really close to reality, however, one part that is completely fiction is dundundun... Science Babies.**

 **I know some are against reading it but I wanna write about Mei and Yuzu's baby; More surprises that way ;)** **Wanted clear up any confusion before you read this chapter. Anyway, now that that is cleared up, I hope you enjoy reading.**

* * *

Yuzu watched as Mei slowly walked back into the house, being met in the lobby by Willow.

"So you decided to stay?" The question was directed towards Mei, who took the question rather bitterly.

"Yuzu pointed out that despite our history things might have changed. So you have her to thank." Mei said as she hooked her coat and pointed towards the lounge again.

"Well, at least you found a girl that knows how to keep you under control." Willow laughed as she followed Mei, noticing her fists clenching and several words from her girlfriend to calm down. The exchange was one that Willow couldn't help but smile at.

She had grown up for years with the young Aihara and viewed her as her younger sister. She had more love for the cold younger girl than nearly any other person on earth, she just didn't always show it.

"C'mon, I'm kidding Mei. I've missed you, its been years since I've seen you and you wouldn't reply to any of my emails or letters so since you are twenty one now I thought it was about time I came to see you again." Smiling as she sat down opposite the couple on the plush cushioned couch, Willow couldn't help but be amazed at the young woman her 'sister' had become. That and her girlfriend sitting beside her.

"So ehh... sorry if this sounds a little rude, but em how old are you? I mean it's not that you look old or anything, but you speak to Mei like she's younger than you so..." Yuzu asked, hoping she wasn't coming across too inappropriate. This girl looked just as young as Yuzu was, and she was clearly full of energy but Yuzu felt like she had to be sure.

She was rewarded with a laugh and a wave of her hand. "You're right. I'm a little under two years older than Mei is. I'm just about twenty-three, so Mei's like my baby sister!" Grinning with excitement, Willow flashed a wild smile as she pushed her luck by so informally addressing the youngest girl.

"No way? Mei's younger than me too!" Yuzu exclaimed, not really sure why she found this so amusing, but it seemed that Mei wasn't quite as enthusiastic about the conversation.

"She is only a month older than me so it doesn't really count. And I have asked you not to call me that." Mei said as she shifted in place, being called out for the youngest in the room almost felt like being belittled. Obviously Mei was aware that is not what the two were trying to do -well at least she knew it wasn't Yuzu's intention- but she felt it all the same.

"Oh calm down Mei, I came here to see how you were doing not to start trouble. Yuzu was telling me you are learning the Piano, you never showed any interest in that when we were younger?" Trying to steer the topic in another direction that would force Mei to participate in the conversation, Willow smiled as she pointed to the grand piano that was placed in the corner of the room.

"I started lessons several months ago, and you never saw me take an interest as you could already play when I first thought of starting, beginning then would only be asking to be in your shadow... yet again." Again the room was put into an awkward silence as Yuzu nor Willow knew what to say, but it didn't last long before Yuzu perked up.

"So... Maybe you can tell me about you and Mei when you were younger?" Smiling nervously as she glanced between the two girls to see if one, Willow wanted to and second, if Mei would allow it or shut it down like she seemed to be doing with every other conversation starter.

"I would appreciate it if you kept stories to yourself while you are here. Speaking of, when are you planning on going home?" Mei was quick to intervene in the conversation, Yuzu could ask her directly what she was like as a child, she didn't need to ask Willow such questions. She instantly received an elbow in the side and a questioning look from her girlfriend while Willow laughed bitterly.

"Ouch Mei. I only got a one-way ticket, so I'm here for as long as I want. But it seems like you would rather I cut my visit short?" Laughing as she seemed immune to Mei's coldness, Willow continued.

"My boyfriend is arriving tomorrow, we thought it would be a nice excuse for a holiday so probably a few weeks minimum. Besides, this is our chance to get to know each other again, I mean I'm sure you aren't still into the same stuff as when we were kids. Your Grandfather told me where you two are studying at the moment, so we decided it would be best if I rented out an apartment near you while I was here so we can reconnect." Willow was practically beaming as she spoke, the idea clearly being something she was proud of and looking forward to.

Yuzu, before Mei could butt in and once again put a downer on the conversation and reject her cousin again, piped up with a smile that stopped Mei from countering her.

"That's great! I know I would love to get to know you better and I'm sure Mei would too. All our friends live there too so you can meet all them too,"

"All _your_ friends live there you mean, Himeko still lives here." Mei pointed out, her voice making Yuzu sit up straight and shut her mouth.

"You mean that really short, annoying girl from when you were in elementary school?" Disbelief and amusement were evident on the Europeans face as the image of a petite over-protective young girl sprung into her mind. Every moment that girl was with the two of them she was always stuck to Mei's side, never letting a single comment go without a remark. Evidently, the exact way she treated Yuzu.

Yuzu all but nipped the bridge of her nose as she listened to the words come from Willow's lips; If she wanted an excuse for Mei to get up and leave she certainly succeeded. And just as the thoughts ran through her mind, she watched as Mei straightened in her seat, only just staying seated as Yuzu grabbed her arm and kept her down. Though she wasn't holding on for long before she let go, after all, Yuzu didn't want to be in Mei's bad books either.

"Please do not speak about her like that. Himeko is my best friend and has been an excellent support for me in the past years. I won't sit here and listen to you two talk slander about her." Mei's words were harsher than ever and as she continued to speak she felt her discomfort rise. Pulling away from Yuzu's grasp as she stood and left to the door, slamming it shut on the blonde's words.

"What did I say?!" Swivelling around on the seat as she watched Mei leave the room, Yuzu was left with her mouth hanging agape when she got no response from her girlfriend. Though at least Yuzu knew she wasn't leaving as she wasn't ordered out to the car as she had been earlier, Yuzu assumed she had just gone to cool off in either the gardens or her old room.

"Yeah, that probably wasn't the best thing to say," Yuzu gave an awkward laugh as she turned back to Willow who was currently sitting in shock at the quick exit.

"I think she was just looking for a reason to leave. She probably just needs some time to think and let it settle in that I'm here, I guess I'll see her again at dinner and apologise. I honestly don't know why she dislikes me so much, I have always been kind to her and treated her like my own family! She is just cold to me, but it seems that I can't take a hint as here I am ten years later still asking her to be my family." Giving a pitiful laugh of her own, Willow leaned back in the chair and tried to let some of the stress go.

Little did she know that Mei was standing on the other side of the door listening to every word. Her hands making fists in her skirt as she listened to the older girl talk about her. She truly was here to try and make peace, not that Willow had ever done anything to Mei, in fact, she had only ever tried to help her when they were younger; Helping her with her studies, inviting her out with her friends, showing her how to do things she hadn't quite grasped. Being the big sister every child could ask for.

"Anyway, you must tell me the trick for it as it seems you've got Mei right where you want her. Never would I have thought that Mei would be the submissive one in her future relationships." Willow laughed as she moved across the room to be closer to Yuzu who blushed furiously at her words.

"Ohh no you've got that wrong. Trust me Mei is anything _but_ wrapped around my finger, she calls the shots. And she's definitely not submissive... Well unless she wants to be," Cheeks the colour of the flames that were flickering in the fireplace, Yuzu glanced to the door where Mei had left.

On the other side, Mei was refusing to let her smile tug at her lips as she ear-wigged a moment longer. She didn't know where she stood in this argument, she thought she called the shots in the relationship, but then again Yuzu always seemed to get what she wanted. Here Mei was standing back in her grandfather's house unable to leave all because the blonde wanted to stay to make friends.

Maybe she was becoming too submissive, maybe she did need to put her foot down more when it came to the blonde getting her own way. Anyway, she couldn't stand to listen to where the conversation was heading now, only wishing Yuzu had a mind to keep their private life, private. Making her way down the hall before ascending the staircase to her room where Mei thought she would think things through until she would eventually be called down for dinner by the maid.

The next Mei heard of either the two blondes was Yuzu knocking gently on her door. It had been well over several hours since they arrived, Mei assumed Yuzu had spent that time getting to know Willow better and had most likely already had lunch. Mei, still thinking, had had hers brought up to her room as she wasn't quite sure she wanted to go back to her conversation with her distant cousin.

"Mei are you in there?" Yuzu asked softly as she knocked again. She had only just finished an awkward lunch with Willow and their grandfather, when she was told that Mei had asked to eat alone Yuzu was instantly stuck with worry as thoughts of Mei crying in the car came back to her. Maybe this was all too much for her and she really did want to go home.

"Yes, come in." Though she got a quick response from Mei that showed no signs of sadness from the room, and so Yuzu opened the door and peeked her head around the entrance before completely stepping into the room once she saw Mei waited for her to come in. Closing the door gently behind her, Yuzu moved over to where Mei was standing, a somewhat nervous grin on her face.

"Everything okay? Your butler said you didn't want to come downstairs for lunch so I thought maybe something was wrong," Smiling as she came to stand in front of her girlfriend, Yuzu reached her hand out and took Mei's in her own before lightly swinging their arms.

"I'm quite alright, thank you for coming to check on me. I hope you have had a nice morning, but it seems that we might be forced to stay the night if she is planning on coming up with us tomorrow. I heard from one of the staff that she is only staying here tonight and her partner is arriving tomorrow morning to take them to their new flat where their stuff is being shipped to. I suppose grandfather will want us to drive up with them, I hope you don't mind and you don't need to be at work until five so you will have plenty of time to get ready." Mei asked as she allowed the blonde to kiss her knuckles lightly, the sensation making her smile.

"Of course I don't mind Mei, but are you sure you want to? I mean as long as you want to we can, but nothing is keeping us here if you decided that you want to go home now." Smiling as brightly as she could Yuzu inched closer to her girlfriend, their noses now grazing each other. The green eyes were so warm and comforting Mei couldn't think of denying her of what she wanted. They would be staying the night and she would be at least try to make friends with Willow. After all, her dislike wasn't for the girl herself more at her ability to master any task she tried.

Leaning in she captured the blonde's lips in her own for a second before pulling back. "We can stay, after all, she seems like she wants to get closer so one night can't be that bad." Smiling briefly before she leaned back into the soft lips, Mei sought comfort in the warmth she got from them and received plenty more when her girlfriend deepened the embrace. Her arms coming to a close around her.

"As long as it's what you want." Breaking the embrace Yuzu turned to look at her surroundings.

"I see your room is still as boring as it was when I was in here years ago." She joked as she looked at the plain walls lined only in a bookcase and a desk, all of which were filled with neutral colours.

Choosing not to respond to the comment, Mei opted for sitting on her freshly made bed as she watched the blonde inspect the room for any signs of life or colour or something she would find interesting about the younger girl. Mei knew every item in that room, nothing in there could bring her embarrassment so Yuzu was free to browse all she wanted.

"What are they doing now?" Mei asked as she eyed Yuzu pulling books from the bookcase and reading the titles.

"Emm I think she was talking to her boyfriend when I left, Gramps said he had a meeting or something and left straight after lunch. He said to tell you that dinner is already planned and if he isn't back, start it at normal time." Yuzu said as she mindlessly placed the book back on the shelf, in the wrong place might Mei add. Her heels bouncing as she made her way over to Mei before jumping over her thighs.

Now straddling her legs, Yuzu grinned mischievously. "Which means we are alone..." Twirling a strand of black hair between her fingers, Yuzu leaned down for a kiss, confident that she would make contact. But she didn't. Instead, she found her ass making contact with the wooden floor of the bedroom as her loud, and sore sounding, landing echoed through the room.

"Oowww!" Crying out as she grabbed her aching cheeks and stumbled to her feet, Yuzu shot several glares to the girl still sitting on the bed. "Why the hell did you push me off?!" Still rubbing her butt as she tried to rub the pain away, Yuzu narrowed her eyes at her girlfriend who didn't flinch at her words.

"You are getting too cocky, I heard Willow saying you had me 'right where you wanted me' and it made me think that I do let you get away with far too much. This is a perfect example, a year ago you wouldn't have dared to do something like that. It's time you learned your place and how to control yourself." Mei said as she brushed her skirt, seemingly uninterested in her girlfriend pain.

"Learn my place?! I'm not a servant or below you!" Yuzu snapped back, her voice rising as the pain in her ass continued to linger. The hardwood flooring had done a number on her soft flesh, that combined with the belittling she had just received made for the snippety comment.

"Lower your voice, you know fine well that's not what I meant. Now settle down before I change my tone." The words came harsh as Mei narrowed her stare on the blonde and raised her voice.

As told, Yuzu lowed her voice slumping down into the desk chair as she crossed her legs and folded her arms. "Sure you didn't mean it like that. What you meant was that I have to listen to everything you say because you are the boss and I'm not allowed to do anything out of turn. That's what it sounded like. All I was going to do was kiss you, it's not like I would have taken it any further." Huffing as she finally turned to Mei, to meet her just as cold stare.

"Oh stop it! All I meant was that you push it sometimes and you know I am right. Stop acting like a petty child before I lose my temper." Mei replied as she rolled her eyes at the tantrum, perhaps her wording could have been better but she knew Yuzu knew what she meant and was only being pissy because she had pushed her off of her.

"Fine. Sorry for raising my voice and trying to kiss you." Through a bitter voice, Yuzu got the sentence out as she turned to the desk so she wasn't still glaring at her girlfriend. But make no mistake she was definitely still glaring.

"This wasn't supposed to be an argument Yuzu, I only meant for you to see that you do push the boundaries sometimes. Please don't make this out to be more than it needs to be... I'm sorry for saying that I didn't mean it." Guilt swarming her as she saw the pout of her girlfriend's lips and the scowl she was giving the desk instead of her.

Instantly the frown was gone and Mei saw the life jump back to the blonde's face at her words; This was a perfect example, here she was giving in to the blonde yet again. It was almost impossible when she looked so cute.

"Don't worry bout it." At hearing the apology Yuzu was reverted back to her old self as she gave a winning smile to her girlfriend and spun back around to face her. "But I understand what you are saying, maybe I do get a little... cocky sometimes and I'll work on it, promise... I'm sure Willow will be off the phone now, and I'm sure she is dying to talk to you. It's totally okay if you aren't comfortable with it, but If you wanted some time alone before dinner I can just chill here." Swaying on the chair Yuzu asked as she gave a concerned look to her girlfriend. She still very much remembered the crying Mei had done several hours ago at the mention of the girl, but if they were going to stay the night she thought it best that Mei becomes a little more comfortable. Even now Mei didn't seem as reluctant to the offer.

"You are probably right, if I am to reconnect with her it is only right that I spend some time getting to know her again. Though I doubt much has changed. Will you be alright up here by yourself or would you rather come downstairs?" Mei asked, raising from the bed as she did.

"Um, I think I'll stay up here, as long as it's alright with you?" Yuzu grinned as a nervous blush began to creep up her neck.

"You are welcome to, but you aren't going to find anything apart from books, stationery and paperwork. I'll come and get you later then." Mei said as she gestured around her room, knowing exactly why Yuzu wanted to stay up here.

Yuzu could only give an embarrassed chuckle at being caught out, a quick nod before Mei left the room to go and meet with her cousin.

It was five o'clock before Mei came to get Yuzu for dinner. Seeming to have more of a jump to her step than she did earlier.

"Dinner is ready if you would like to come down, Willow is waiting and as you said Grandfather isn't back yet so it will just be the three of us." Walking into the room Mei saw Yuzu lounged over her bed with her face snuggled into the pillow.

When the blonde recognised the voice she sprung to a sitting position on the bed, giving a nervous laugh when Mei cocked her eyebrow at her.

"It eh, smells like you." Her cheeks flushed red at Mei catching her, Yuzu twiddled her fingers through the sheets and glanced back to the pillow.

"Right, and why does that mean you can sit and smell it. Nevermind don't answer that, will you just come down for dinner before it goes cold?" Mei asked as she shook her head, not wanting to hear the blonde's excuse for the act.

"Oh yeah, I'm coming." Yuzu smiled as she raised from the bed and followed Mei out the door, clasping onto her hand when she reached her at the stairs.

"Did things go okay this afternoon?" Placing a kiss to Mei's cheek as she bounced down the stairs, her fingers squeezing Mei's.

"They did," Mei answered blandly as she continued down the stairs and shook the blonde's arm to get her to stop swinging them.

"That's all you're gonna say?" Whining as she tugged on her girlfriend's hand, Yuzu smiled to the maid who opened the door to the dining room where a large table lay set out with three placemats.

"Well, you are going to ask her anyway so why bother." Letting go of the hand in her own, Mei took her seat at the table and instantly began reaching for food. Clearly not wanted to have the gossip Yuzu was looking for.

"We just talked about the last few years, what we've been up to and stuff like that. Nothing worth mentioning." Willow assisted as she watched the two come into the room.

"Whatever you say, but as long as you guys are friends again that's all that matters." Yuzu smiled as she grazed Mei's leg under the table with her foot, a soft and sympathetic smile graced her lips when Mei gave a small nod in response.

"We spoke and we sorted things out, perhaps we are a few conversations away from friends as you would define them," Mei said as she gave a small smile to Willow.

"Yup Mei realised that I'm not purposely great at everything I do, I can't help it." Willow laughed and got a frown from Mei in response.

"Yes, just because we have come to an understanding doesn't mean that boasting is attractive. Mei said as she sipped her water, knowing if she didn't say something Yuzu probably would have and it wouldn't have been as nice as she had just been.

"Yeah yeah, so what have you been doing the past couple hours?" Turning her attention to Yuzu, Willow asked, trying to make some sort of conversation.

"Not much, Mei's room is pretty boring so I just sat on my phone and called Harumi for a bit." Shrugging, Yuzu plucked a carrot from her plate, not seeing the look of confusion on Willow's face.

"Harumin is Yuzu's best friend, you will meet her no doubt if you spend more than a day with Yuzu at our home. She speaks to Yuzu just about as much as I do... And I live with her." Mei said, the passive-aggressive comment not being noticed by Yuzu as she nodded in agreement, not seeing anything wrong with the amount of time she spent with her friend.

"Right, well I'm sure I will then." Willow smiled and went back to her dinner, this was a nice change for her and she was more than happy that she was getting along with Mei for what seemed like the first time in her life.

Dinner pasted quickly and eventually, Mei's grandfather arrived home, but by this point, the plates were being cleared from the table as they three finished off their drinks. Having socialize enough for one night, Mei had decided to call it a night and dragged Yuzu along with her. Well, Yuzu had insisted she was going as well.

There was minor cuffuf with their grandfather about sharing Mei's bed, and he had insisted that Yuzu sleep in a guest bedroom. Though after an embarrassing argument from the blonde saying they shared a bed every night, she had managed to seek up the stairs behind Mei as their grandfather set off about her manners.

"He was mad," Laughing, Yuzu flopped down on the bed remembering the look of shock on the older man's face when they had went to bed together.

"I believe he had the right to be, he is not so used to seeing us together. I have clothes here so you can borrow some pyjamas." Mei said as she pulled two pairs of clothing from the wardrobe and chucked one to Yuzu as she began getting changed into the other.

Still very much infatuated with her girlfriend's body, Yuzu watched in silence as Mei undressed with her back turned to her.

"You're perfect,". The words escaped Yuzu's mouth without her thinking, her tone soft and gentle. Though she wasn't wrong, Mei was perfect to her, her everything. The curve of her spine; The dimples on her back; Her smile; Her voice. She was Yuzu's everything.

Yuzu watched as she saw the tips of Mei's ears turn red, clearly visible in the mists of her black locks. After pulling her shirt over her head Mei turned back around to face Yuzu, a blush spreading across her cheeks.

Perhaps she wasn't good enough to best Willow or make her mother love her enough to stay, but that didn't matter because she had Yuzu; Someone who thought she was perfect in every way. Who showed her love every day and never let her forget it. And she always knew what to say to make her happy.

Walking over to the bed, Mei sat over the blonde's legs, much like Yuzu had done earlier, and brought her into a tight hug. It took moments for Yuzu to bring her arms up and around Mei, making the embrace that much tighter as she closed her eyes and focused on the girl in her arms.

"And you are far from perfect, but you are everything I want and all I need," Mei said as she drew her face into Yuzu's neck. Yuzu could only smile at the comment, a compliment and an insult all in one but it filled her with all the happiness she needed.

It must have been over ten minutes before Mei decided to move off Yuzu and onto the bed.

"I think I'm just going to read for a while before bed, what are you going to do?" Mei asked as she took her book she had brought earlier and slipped under the covers against the headboard. Yuzu after losing the warmth of the embrace pried her shirt over her head and after changing in record time snuggled under the covers beside Mei. Her head coming to rest on the girl's shoulder, her legs tangling around Mei's.

"I think I'm just going to sit with you." Opening her phone, Yuzu began scrolling through social media as she snuggled further into Mei's grasp, grateful she had not been pushed away for being too cocky. Mei was right, a year ago she probably wouldn't have been able to cuddle up to her girlfriend so easily. But that wasn't exactly a bad thing.

Scrolling through her phone Yuzu smiled as a text came through from Matsuri, full of laughing emojis.

'Hahaha guess what! Just told Harumin I was preggers as a prank and she almost passed out! She shit herself'

The message made Yuzu laugh, but shudder at the same time. Matsuri as a mother was not something she saw in her friend, no matter how much she loved her.

After replying, Yuzu sat there for a moment considering the consequences of her next move but decided it worth it all the while. After putting her phone down on the covers, she tried to play it cool. Still sitting as she had been, Yuzu moved a hand to Mei's book and slipped her hand over the pages until she found the younger's fingers. Grasping them in her own, Yuzu took the hand away from the book, Mei's attention along with it.

Seeing Mei had taken her attention from her book to ask why she had done that, Yuzu kept her smile at bae to try and convey the importance of the situation.

"I have something to tell you," Keeping her face turned just out of Mei's sights to hide her guilty expression Yuzu spoke, giving a squeeze to Mei's rather cold hand as she did.

"What is it?" Replying quickly as it was obvious she wanted to go back to her book, Mei placed it completely on the bedsheets giving Yuzu her full attention for the time being.

"I'm... pregnant." Managing to keep her cool and serious tone, Yuzu said the big words. It was hard not to burst out in laughter as she felt the hand in her own go slack. When she heard nothing from her girlfriend, Yuzu glanced at Mei who looked as though she had just seen a ghost. Like she'd just shit her pants.

"Mei?" Yuzu asked as she shifted to look Mei in the eyes, seeing her mind work a million miles an hour. Then it stopped. Her eyes narrowed down on Yuzu.

"No, you...you can't be... I'm on the...With who's baby?" Mei asked her voice but a whisper when she started but growing cold the longer she had to think about what the blonde had said. Mei pulled her hand away from Yuzu then saw the confusion on the blonde's face and decided to elaborate.

"I'm on the pill and have been since we started sleeping together, you know that and you told me you were doing the same. So who has gotten you pregnant because it certainly wasn't me?" Mei demanded, having completely forgotten about her book now.

It was at this moment Yuzu knew she'd fucked up. She knew Mei was on the pill, why didn't she think of that before she made a fool of herself. It was true that she had been on the pill as a precaution when they first slept together to put Mei's mind at ease, but she had stopped taking it months ago.

 _Fuck_

"Shit, emm I was only joking Mei. It was just a joke to see how you would react but I forgot about that." Nervously sweating, Yuzu pulled at the collar of her shirt as Mei watched her. It took a few minutes for her to say anything, but when she did Mei did it as she picked up her book and turned away from her girlfriend.

"Maybe you _should_ sleep in a guest bedroom tonight." Saying it coldly as she turned back to her book. Mei couldn't deny the fear that had crossed her heart when Yuzu said those words. Then the panic of who had done it to her and the unimaginable relief that left her when she found out it was a lie.

"What?! You can't be serious?" Panic filled Yuzu as she watched Mei ignore her.

"Mei it was just a joke and your first reaction was pretty funny! Please don't kick me out because of that!" Practically bowing down on the bed to Mei, Yuzu cried as she hoped Mei would have mercy on her. Why did she think doing something Matsuri had done was a good idea?

Mei didn't give a verbal reply but moved over in the bed until she was practically against the wall. Her moving told Yuzu she didn't actually expect her to leave the room, but cuddling wasn't going to happen.

Gulping down her saliva as she tried to noiselessly climb back under the covers on her side of the bed, Yuzu froze when she heard Mei speak again.

"Don't ever do that again." Her eyes never left her book and her shoulder turned ever so slightly away from the blonde. Yuzu sat still, feeling guilty for making Mei so upset, and by her reaction shit scared.

"I'm sorry okay? Please don't be mad at me, I didn't mean for it to upset you like that and I didn't think that you'd think it was someone else's because I'd never do that. I just wanted to see how you'd react... Meiii?" Her voice almost song-like as she whined her girlfriend's name, Yuzu shuffled ever so slightly towards her.

She got a reaction and it wasn't a good one, but at least she wasn't being ignored.

"I just don't see how joking about something like that could be remotely funny for you," Mei said, nearly throwing her book down onto the sheets as she turned back to Yuzu. From her actions, it was clear to Yuzu that Mei was more than just upset with her, but was angry. Clearly not having the same sense of humour.

Not quite knowing what to say, Yuzu took her chances and jumped the rest of the distance between them and hugged her.

"I won't ever do it again! I promise, not even if I'm dared to!" Giving a tight squeeze as she spoke, surprised to see that Mei didn't push her away.

"Make sure you don't. Now let go so I can read my book." Mei said after a few more moments of Yuzu trying to hug the anger our of her. Yuzu quickly let go and sat next to Mei, making sure to leave a small gap between them for Mei's personal space.

"I love you." Yuzu said sweetly as she listened to Mei sigh, hoping it made her feel better.

"Evidently." It didn't.

Her words were still slightly bitter, but Yuzu assumed that that would be the case come tomorrow morning as well.

"Yup, I love you." It was still relatively early so after risking a quick kiss to Mei's cheek, Yuzu turned her phone to Netflix to leave Mei in peace. Turning on her side with her back to Mei, Yuzu moved a little further away to let Mei read but she felt the younger girl shuffle up closer until her hip was touching the blonde's back. Yuzu smiled to herself as she backed into Mei's legs, and brushed her feet up against Mei's.

It was an unspoken accepted apology, so the series played in the room while Mei continued to read her book. Before soon the lights were turned off, entertainment was put away and the two snuggled up in Mei's old bed.

It felt weird for Mei to be back again, for Yuzu it felt almost scandalous to be sleeping in Mei's room nevermind her bed. She had after all, only been in this room a couple of times in her life and never had she been under the sheets of the bed. Now, being able to have Mei lying on her chest as they fell asleep was something Yuzu felt she could cross off her imaginary bucket list.

When Yuzu woke the next morning it was to an empty bed. Mei and signs of her being there were gone. Yuzu suspected she had woken up early to be up when her grandfather was, meaning she had most likely been up for several hours as it was now eight.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Yuzu made her way down the stairs to the dining area where she assumed Mei would be. Well, that was the only way she would get breakfast as she wasn't allowed in the kitchen. Walking into the large room, Yuzu saw no one there apart from the butler standing next to the door to the kitchen.

"Good morning Miss Aihara, would you like something to eat?" Smiling, the older gentleman pulled a seat out for the blonde. Yuzu smiled brightly and nodded, "Yes thank you, emm so do you know where Mei is?" Sitting down at the table, Yuzu asked.

"Miss Aihara has already eaten and is in the lounge, I will tell her you are here. In the meantime what can I get you?"

"Oh em, just some toast and tea please." With the biggest smile on her face, Yuzu responded. Getting waited on was something she was not used to at all, but it didn't hurt.

Sitting swinging her feet under the large table, Yuzu inspected the oversized room. The walls were covered in a few paintings and a large clock sat on the wall. It seemed a bit much for the family of three that had lived there, but she should have expected no less from the well-off family.

After less than two minutes the door opened and Mei came through, fully dressed and wide awake. At the same time, the butler returned with a tray containing her desired foods and placed it down in front of her alongside several toppings for her toast. Yuzu had the biggest grin on her face as it was placed before her, Mei could only raise her eyebrow and pull aside smile.

"If you could leave us," Turning to the butler, Mei had to say no more before the man left the room. "You certainly seem to be enjoying the service," Mei said she came to sit opposite the blonde, smiling at her bed head hair.

"It's not bad." Grinning as she buttered her toast, Yuzu agreed with her her girlfriend without thought. Rushing to eat the toast while it was still warm. Mei admired the happiness the simplest things brought the blonde, how she was so grateful for a single task.

"I have spoken to Willow this morning as she got up alongside Grandfather and I. Her partner should be here in the next two hours and we are all leaving shortly after that. She has said he is bringing their own car across from Scotland so she will be driving with him. We are just to show them where our apartment is and then she said she will come around after she's finished unpacking at some point." Mei said as she took a sip of her girlfriend's tea, noticing the blush that spread across Yuzu's cheeks when she saw. Rolling her eyes as she placed the cup back on the table.

"Why are you still so childish when it comes to things like this? Getting flustered over an 'indirect kiss' when your lips have been pretty much everywhere, is silly." Motioning down her body when she said 'everywhere', Mei promoted Yuzu with a roll of her eyes.

"Hey! A kiss is a kiss, I can't help it if it still makes me nervous and excited!" Defending herself as she pointed her toast accusing at her girlfriend Yuzu eyed up her cup that Mei had just put down. Then her cheeks burned red when the words processed probably in her mind.

"Don't say something like that here, what if someone is listening!" Yuzu exclaimed as she scanned the room for any sign of life, glad to find none as she settled her eyes back on her girlfriend.

"You look nice today," Yuzu smiled as she looked over Mei; A cute little sweater along with her usual style of shirt, her hair down as normal and yet she looked so cute. The comment making a baby blush spread across her ears.

"Hurry up and eat then we'll go and get you dressed. I'm sure I'll have something that'll fit you upstairs." Mei said as she gestured to Yuzu's plate to try and brush off her complement. She got a sure nod from the blonde before she wolfed down the last of her toast and gave a final blush as she picked up her tea to drink.

"You can just leave it here, someone will come to clear it up for you." Standing from the table when she saw Yuzu finish her food, Mei stopped her from stacking up her things to take them away. She got an 'ohh' from Yuzu before she begrudgingly left her dirty dishes for one of the maids to clean up.

"So are you gonna be picking my outfit for today?" Smirking as she sat on the edge of the made bed, Yuzu watched as Mei browsed her closet for something Yuzu wouldn't say no to wearing. The thought of asking the blonde to wear one of her long skirts was almost enough to make her laugh.

"Yes, though it will most likely just be jeans and a shirt, you will no doubt have to roll the bottom of the trousers up a little but there is nothing I can do about that," Mei responded as she drew two pieces of clothing from the wardrobe and handed them across to Yuzu.

"Thanks." Taking the clothes from Mei, Yuzu didn't think twice about pulling the shirt over her head, seeing Mei looking right at her when her head popped out the top. A light in her belly lite as she watched Mei eye her bare chest, it growing stronger when the standing girl bit her bottom lip; Almost as if she was thinking about what to do next.

Seeing the inner debate Mei was having, Yuzu got butterflies in her core as she tossed her shirt from her hands and leaned back on the mattress with her arms fully stretched out behind her. Biting her own lips as she flicked her eyes up to Mei, the glossy look making her take a step towards her girlfriend layed out before her.

Yuzu had to wait only a few seconds more before Mei walked over to the door and just as she thought she was being left, Mei turned the lock and nearly ran back to Yuzu. Her body draping over the blonde's nude top as she pushed her down into the sheets and tool her in a rushed kiss.

Mei's hand ran up her side and gripped onto her breast, giving it a squeeze before she left the blonde's lips.

"Why didn't you have a bra on?" Mei asked as she lent back down to take her girlfriend in another kiss. Clearly more interested in continuing than actually getting an answer.

Gliding her hands down Mei's thighs and guiding them between her own, Yuzu wrapped her legs around Mei's waist and hold onto her.

"I knew we would come up to get me some clothes and I ... wanted to take my chances." Painting as she focused on the feeling of the fingers around her burning flesh, Yuzu pulled Mei down into another kiss. Something about having sex in Mei's grandfather's mansion felt so dirty and exciting Yuzu couldn't bare it. That and she just wanted Mei.

Grabbing the hem of Mei's sweater Yuzu nearly ripped it off she was in such a rush, breaking their kiss was not what she wanted but what she needed. She _needed_ to see Mei in her birthday suit.

Her hand being grabbed once it was off, Yuzu was left powerless as her arm was pinned to the mattress and Mei's lips moved down her chest and stomach. Using her free hand and with help from the blonde, Mei made quick work of Yuzu's pyjama bottoms and underwear, mindlessly flung them to the floor.

"We don't have long until Willow will come looking for us." Mei panted as she removed her own bottoms, doing the same to them as she had Yuzu's. When they where both completely revealed, Mei leaned back down to the blonde's lips and sent her hand down between her legs. Giving round rubs to her girlfriend's clit and longer strokes every few seconds.

As a rule, that was occasionally broken if Yuzu worked hard, Mei took longer or needed more attention than Yuzu did to reach her climax. And with potentially very little time, Yuzu as much as she could think through the groans that were leaving her mouth, knew Mei needed a little more work before they would be able to go at it together.

"Well, that means I need to work a little faster then." Squirming out if Mei's grip, Yuzu wrapped her legs around the back of the younger's thighs and flipped her onto her back.

"And to do that, you need to be on the bottom." Yuzu gave a quick grin before her lips were being used to suck Mei's hardening nipple, her hand like Mei's had moments ago, snaking down her stomach to what was becoming quite slick lips. Her teeth grazing over the nub as Mei's back arched in response, Yuzu feeling her pleasure from the tighter tugs on her hair when she sucked at just the right angle. Moans ripped unwilling from Mei's throat when Yuzu moved from rubbing her wettening lips to gently flicking her clit with just the tip of her fingers.

After several more minutes of this show, Yuzu's aching core finally gave and she moved so she directly until on Mei. When the first contact of the blonde's soaked lips brushed her clit Mei thought a little part of her floated away with pleasure. A load, encouraging, moan escaped her sealed lips, her hips rising from the bed to get the friction she craved.

Yuzu's hands now finding Mei's and interlocking their fingers, held them at either side of the younger's head while she began layering kisses along her neck.

Yuzu thought her slow grinds were enough to start with, but perhaps she had stirred her panting girlfriend more than she thought as Mei practically begged for her to move faster.

With their bodies pressed flush together and their lips gliding against the other, Yuzu had no disputes with speeding things up.

"Just go faster, mhnm... and don't stop!" Yuzu listened pleasantly as her girlfriend's voice shot up an octave when she pushed hard and long against her clit with her own. The motion doing as much for her as it obviously did for Mei.

As requested, Yuzu took a moment to position herself better between her girlfriend's legs and away she went. Using the endless moans and groans that Mei made to keep up her speed. That, and the unparallel pleasure she was receiving from this.

"Yuzu... I think I'm going to!" Mei panted through her heavy uneven breathing. Yuzu, as much as she loved those words and was feeling the same things deep down in her core was focused on her girlfriend's hands; That were fondling her own chest. Yuzu watched as Mei's eyes darted shut when she increased her hips a final time and lightly pinched her nipples.

"Uugh, I'm gonna cum Mei!" Falling down onto the mattress with a hand on either side of the younger's shoulders, Yuzu used this new position to steady herself as she rocked her slick entrance against Mei's.

With a final effort from both, Yuzu was soon rolling off Mei to lie on her back, chest heaving and legs still occasionally twitching.

"Mmmmm, thanks for saying yes; I needed that," Yuzu whispered in almost a moan as she moved to her side to snuggle into Mei's side.

"Don't thank me for having sex Yuzu, that sounds wrong," Mei said as sat up and pulled her hair off her back for ventilation. With her girlfriend having moved away from, Yuzu layered kisses up and along her hand trying to keep up the mood. Mei, however, wanted to hurry up and try and get dressed. They had already been too long and if someone came to the door with her like this she would have no coverage.

"Get dressed, we need to go and see Willow before she comes here looking for us." Fastening her bra and pulling her sweater back on, Mei fanned her cheeks to try and cool down the heat in them.

"But I need to shower," Catching the clothes Mei tossed at her, Yuzu tried to keep Mei's attention, but it clearly didn't work as she quickly stood and up pulled her hand from Yuzu's.

"I'm going to the bathroom to freshen up, you, however, can shower when we get home. No arguments." Taking her underwear and skirt along with her, Mei rushed into her on-sweet and closed the door behind her. Leaving Yuzu to get dressed and freshen up without the use of her girlfriend's bathroom. Well, until _Mei_ came out as _she_ lingered on the blonde's fingers.

After what was another twenty minutes, they where both unlocking the door and walking out the room. Leaving the _fresh_ , untidy sheets for the maid and hoped the scene wouldn't be passed about among the staff.

* * *

 **Okay, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the read. I know some will be a little annoyed with the stretch between the updates, but my school year is just starting and I'm back at my full-time job so chapters are going to be every couple of weeks compared to what they have been in the past. I'm trying my best :{.**

 **Anyway, I hope you liked it and if you did I appreciate reading your reviews and they keep me writing:)**


	43. A Small Gift

Yuzu stood in awe as she watched a vibrant yellow Lamborghini pull up into the driveway, reaving the engine once before the car stopped. As Yuzu stood in awe Willow jumped from the steps and ran to the car, getting there just in time to hug the tall man who stepped out. The hug was received in full as he picked the lightweight girl up off her feet and spun her around while giving her a long kiss to her neck.

"Damn..." Yuzu said as she looked at Willow's boyfriend, he was more than a treat for the eye and was definitely rivalling his girlfriend for the handsome one in the relationship.

Over six ft tall, dark messy hair that was longer than most men Yuzu had ever met coming down to his eyebrows and brushing the collar of his shirt. Muscles well defined, Yuzu could tell not only by his slender torso but the muscles that flexed in his forearms when he picked his girlfriend effortlessly from the floor. His smile was bright and white, his green eyes, though they weren't as prominent as Yuzu's, were soft and full of life. His black jeans and brown boots showed his fashion sense along with the plaid shirt that was unbuttoned slightly at the top. His skin tanned compared to most of the company, clearly a sign of his British ethnicity.

A sharp, fast pain shot through Yuzu's side as she was admiring their newest guest. A sharp wheeze sound could be heard as Yuzu hunched over, just in time to see Mei's elbow retracting.

"The car, I was talking about the car!" Pulling herself together before Willow or her boyfriend could see her state, Yuzu awkwardly stood up straight and grabbed her side with her hand. Trying, and failing, to ease the lingering pain.

"Don't lie to me. Honestly, I'm standing right here and you still say it." Standing by her girlfriend, Mei rolled and narrowed her eyes at the blonde beside her.

Not that she showed it, but Yuzu's immediate interest in Willow's partner stung. Stung badly. Was this just another thing she paled in comparison to Willow at? Was her own girlfriend more attracted to Willow's boyfriend than her?

A pleading grin on her face, Yuzu clamped onto Mei's arm and swung it back and forth.

"C'mon Mei, he's hot as hell you can see that! It's not my fault. Anyways, I have you so it's not like I'm gonna go sticking my nose in, you don't have to worry about me running off with him or anything like that because I'm happy where I am." Yuzu said, though it appeared that the words didn't have the desired effect on the younger girl and she got a very low and cold "Let go." before Mei tugged her arm out of Yuzu's grip.

"Mei, Yuzu this is Ashton my boyfriend." Smiling proudly, Willow gestured to the man on her left arm who gave an awkward bow and introduced himself.

"Good morning, I'm Ashton Welling. Please to meet you both," He gave a gentle and welcoming smile to the two ladies, not aware of the recent tension between them.

Yuzu gave a curt bow back and grinned at his slightly blotchy Japanese, the accent still making her laugh.

"Nice to meet you." Smiling again as she answered him, Yuzu could feel Mei's eyes watching her and decided it best to step closer to Mei so she would take the hint and say hello.

"The pleasure is mine, Willow has said little about you but you seem pleasant." Giving what might have been considered a smile, Mei bowed to the young man.

"He's not been speaking Japanese for that long so you'll have to excuse his strick speaking, trust me he is super talkative in English. Though he can understand most of what is being said, just responding is a little difficult, so don't say anything inappropriate cuz he'll understand." Willow laughed as she gave the man a sympathetic tap on the shoulder and began leading him into the house.

Mei followed quickly behind the couple, not waiting for Yuzu who was checking out the smart car in the drive. Sensing that she had been left alone, Yuzu quickly turned and just caught Mei by the wrist to pull her back outside. She instantly felt resistance but managed to get Mei out of earshot of Willow and Ashton who were already on their way to the lounge.

"Mei, can you give me a minute?" Yuzu asked as she released Mei's hand and took a step toward her. Mei stood silent, her expression blank and uninterested as she looked down at her girlfriend. Gulping down her nervous lump of saliva that had accumulated at the back of her throat, Yuzu tried to approach Mei warmly and at least try to make her feel at ease.

"I'm sorry for what I said, I didn't think about it properly and it came out wrong. Yeah, he's good looking, but so are you. You're my girlfriend Mei, and I'm not looking to replace you. I still love you more than anything in the world, not a single person could make me happier than you do. I looked and that was it, nothing is going to happen with me and him because he's just not as amazingly beautiful as you are." Yuzu said in a comforting voice, looking past the plain expression on Mei's face to the saddened and hurt look in her eyes.

"I know that. I don't think you are going to run away with him; he is here as _Willow's_ boyfriend. Just try not to so openly show how attractive you think he is, you might not intend to do anything and you also might not intend for it to hurt... but it does. I don't want to have to compare myself to someone like that because that's what you like. I can't compete with that; I'm not tall, muscular or have broad shoulders that you like, nor can I pick you up like that. Seeing you fawn over him is just a reminder that I'm not what you are naturally attracted to." Mei said as she choked back a sob and turned away from Yuzu.

It was no secret that Yuzu was straight as a lamppost before she met Mei, even now Mei still suspected it some days. Yuzu showed little to no interest in other girls aside from her, but a hot guy would catch her attention. Today proved it. Sure if a good looking girl stripped down and started coming onto her, Yuzu would turn red and body flustered, but Yuzu saw nearly every girl as a friend and nothing more. The same could not be said for guys. It was obvious that Yuzu loved Mei with all her heart, but she also found many other people hot and didn't exactly hide it very well.

It was natural to look, obviously, and normally it wouldn't have bothered Mei as much; She would have grunted in dissatisfaction, probably make a smart comment about her looking and that'd be it, but today it hit home. Today she was trying to see herself as Willow's equal, not feel insecure about her appearance because Yuzu couldn't keep her mouth shut.

"How can you say that?!" Yuzu's raised voice was offended and hurt by her girlfriend's words. Did Mei really think that about her? How could she _not_ be attracted to Mei, she was everything to Yuzu. Window shopping, as Harumi called it, was completely normal. They looked and admired but never considered buying anything, they had a perfectly good wardrobe at home that didn't need replacing. Yuzu knew people didn't just stop finding others attractive when they got in a relationship, that just wasn't how things work.

"I'm _your_ girlfriend, Mei! I wouldn't be with you if I didn't find you attractive!" Running her hand through her hair as she shook her head, Yuzu gave what would be considered a scoff of disbelief at what Mei was saying.

"Honestly, I'm pretty sure I'm gay if I've been with you for this long. I'm not exactly going around looking for dic..." Stopping to collect herself and from saying anything further. Yuzu stepped back from Mei, taking note of the many emotions playing in her eyes, but her annoyance winning ultimately.

"Listen, I brought you back out here to apologise, not for this. I love you and I want you, not a guy and not another girl. So will you just accept my apology and forget about this?" Yuzu asked, her voice rather calm, but snippets of irritation showed through.

Mei was a little taken aback when she saw Yuzu's reaction, maybe she should have thought more about her accusations before blurting them out as it had clearly offended the blonde.

Yes, Yuzu was aware Mei was under a lot of stress and seeing Willow out of the blue was surely hard for Mei, but that didn't mean she could have a pop at her girlfriend over the smallest of things. Yesterday she got mad and walked away, pushed her off the bed, last night she got upset over a joke and now she was saying this? Yuzu was nearing the end of a long length of string that was her patience, she was clinging to it by its last threads. She wanted to be supportive and help Mei with all this, but there was only so much of Mei's short temper and pushing away Yuzu could take. But she would continue to eat her words and try stop an argument from starting.

"... Okay, let's go inside." When Yuzu didn't get an immediate response from her girlfriend or any response, she decided for them and begun walking into the house. Honestly, Yuzu thought sometimes Mei was the emotional one in the relationship. How could she put on such a brave and unaffected face while she came out with all these feelings randomly?

When Yuzu started walking away, Mei snapped out of her trance. "Yuzu wait, I'm... sorry. I'm not myself at the minute, you are right; let's just forget about this conversation and move on." Her glassy violet eyes showing regret, Mei reached her hand out and waited for Yuzu to take it. A sign of acceptance of her apology.

A soft sad smile appeared on the blonde's lips as she made her way back over to Mei to accept her peace offering.

"Hey, if this is really something that's been bothering you we can talk about it when we get home? I am attracted to you Mei, I think you're beautiful, smokin' hot and cute all the time. And I'm sure there are ways I could prove it to you." Yuzu said, her cheeks tinted just a dark enough shade of red for her to feel the heat in them.

Mei apologising so fast usually meant that she was being honest but felt guilty for it. Whether it was upsetting Yuzu over something like this where she said what first came to mind and realised she could have picked a better time or wording, or scolding her for doing something silly or doing something wrong and Mei saying some condescending remark about her being wrong. It was those times when she apologised and took back what she was saying. Mei realised what she had said was uncalled for, untrue or inconsiderate of the blonde's feelings, therefore giving a sincere apology and taking back what she said.

It was when she was purposely winding Yuzu up, or if they were having an argument that held no particular importance that Mei would just let it fizzle out on its own instead of saying sorry.

"No I'm fine, let's just go inside?" Mei asked as she shook her head and looked slightly away from Yuzu's questioning gaze.

After a moment of standing in silence, Mei was cocooned in the blonde's warm embrace. With Yuzu's arms wrapped around her neck, pulling her close Mei felt just that little bit better.

"We're gonna talk about this okay, and prove to you that I do love you the most?" Yuzu said on the verge of a whisper while giving Mei another quick squeeze before letting go.

Mei watched as the Yuzu gave a nod before keeping a firm grip on her hand as they walked back into the house.

She knew her words were mostly due to their company, she knew Yuzu thought she was hot, just today wasn't the right day to be challenging that. But as per usual, her girlfriend's caring side prevailed and she'd forgotten her irritation and offence to make sure Mei was okay.

...

"Mei, I really gotta go or I'm gonna be late!" Yuzu whined as she pulled on her arms that where wrapped around the taller girl's neck. Mei who was sitting on her girlfriend's lap on the couch placed several more tongued kisses to the pulsing skin of her girlfriend's neck. God how she loved hearing Yuzu moan, but she also knew Yuzu _was_ going to end up having to run to work if she didn't release her.

After a few more quick nips to her jaw, Mei moved off Yuzu to let her stand. A few moments of silence before Mei shifted her gaze from the floor to Yuzu's flushed face.

"If it's possible, could you try and be home before midnight?" Mei asked as she brushed a few strands of hair out of her girlfriend's eyes.

"If I can be, I will be," Giving a sympathetic smile to the longing look in Mei's eyes, she placed a quick peck to Mei's cheek before bouncing out the door. A loud ' I love you' echoing through the now empty living room as the front door slammed shut.

Flopping, unMeilikely back onto the cushions, Mei let a loud sigh escape her lips.

Alone at last.

Well, that's what she wanted to think after having spent the better part of the whole afternoon with Willow and Ashton, but all that she could think was she was alone... again. She was really starting to dislike Yuzu's schedule, she never got any time to herself with the blonde anymore.

Why did she have to be like this? Today of all days when she wanted to cuddle up and be with the girl she loved, Yuzu had to shoot off before the clock even struck five. All the time for cuddling would pass before she returned home and Mei was feeling rather bitter about it.

'Everything is all set up here, you can come round for dinner if you want, I'm inviting Harumi and Matsuri over and they have both said they'll come. It'll be great, and there'll be wine so that's even better.'

Mei's attention was grabbed as a loud _ping_ broke the silence of the house, looking to her phone that was lying on the coffee table she read the message from her cousin. She rolled her eyes and sat back in the chair. The afternoon had been spent with the two aforementioned friends along with the two blondes. They had all hit it off amazingly well, so much so that they were going round for dinner and drinks? Things just seemed to be moving all too fast for Mei's liking, how did people become friends so fast?

She sent a blunt, but relatively polite, text back declining the offer. She had to have some time away from the natural blonde after spending the last day with her.

'Oh and I messaged Yuzu to come round after her shift too, she said she'll meet you here.'

The message came through just before Mei had sent her's. The text confusing her more than anything. Mei sat with her phone in her hands reading the message again, her fingers squeezing the device as she thought back to the promise Yuzu had made about coming home right after her shift.

Ugh, what did it matter? Yuzu shouldn't be shackled down to a boring night with her when she could be out having fun with her friends and new acquaintances. She shouldn't make her girlfriend feel obligated to come home when she wanted to go out after her shift.

'I'll remain at home thank you, tell Yuzu when she gets there I'll see her at home.'

She got a reply back within seconds, a long paragraph that should have taken much longer to write than it did. Well, it would have taken Mei much longer to write.

A long moany text practically begging her to come so they could spend time together, but by the end, she was saying she understood and would let the blonde know when she arrived. Mei chose not to respond to the message, mindlessly tossing it onto the table as her mind wandered back to the day she had.

It hadn't been bad, it had actually been rather nice. Willow and her reminiscent about their younger days and how she enjoyed being with Mei, and for the first time in years she was happy to think about it. But now all she wanted was for her girlfriend to hold her, tell her she was loved and give her a kiss.

 _Study_.

 _When did I start getting so emotional over not spending time with her? I need to focus._

Mei thought as she pulled herself from the couch and made a determined walk through to the bedroom. She used to be able to study for hours at a time while Yuzu went out for nightly shopping sprees with Harumi or weekend sleepovers. Now she was getting lonely because Yuzu wanted to go out after her shift? That just wasn't right, or fair, to Yuzu or to Mei. Yuzu deserved to go and have fun, and Mei shouldn't have to be so reliant on the other's presence.

So with a purposeful mind, Mei sat herself down at her desk and brushed all thoughts of the blonde from her mind. It was a little after five now giving her hours of ideal study time. Time that she would put to good use tonight, not to forget about the blonde but because she wanted to be more like she used to be: A dedicated student who put all her efforts into her study. One that didn't immediately miss Yuzu when she was gone for a couple of hours.

That's what Mei would be tonight, and every other night Yuzu was working and out with her friends. Crap, she was thinking about Yuzu again.

Mei forced her pen to the paper and her eyes to read the words from her textbook, she had to get some work done.

Why did today have to happen so fast? All she really wanted was to sit with her girlfriend and let all her problems melt away. Now she was sitting at her desk, unused notebooks staring back at her, telling herself she needed to stop relying so much on her girlfriend's presence. That she should stop spending so much time thinking about Yuzu and put it back into her studying.

Yes. That's what she needed to do. Definitely.

Her pen made contact with the crisp paper and Mei was set off on a writing spree. She never waisted a second, every moment that could be spent sucking up information was spent doing just that.

Mei felt as though she hadn't properly indulged in a good study session in far too long. Sure the past few weeks she had been doing them, but only as a way of forgetting the blonde's absence. Now she was doing it for herself, to help her feel more like her old self. And she had to admit, it felt good.

It was nearing eleven when her hand had started to cramp, forcing her to remove herself from the textbooks. Sitting back into the chair, Mei let a pleasant sigh escape her lips as she flicked through all the notes she had taken. A feeling of accomplishment was settled in her chest...

-Gurgle-

...And one of hunger in her stomach. Turning in her chair, Mei looked to the small digital clock on the blonde's side of the bed. The room had turned dark, only being illuminated by the glow of her desk lamp. It read just after eleven, gaining half past, she mentally scolded herself for forgetting the time.

She had only recently been getting on at Yuzu, making sure she was eating after work. This was all due to the fact that she still told Mei not to cook her anything and therefore, Mei was taking the older girls word. Now she was the one who had not eaten.

Standing from the chair, Mei slowly made her way to the kitchen, her stiff joints protesting all the way. It was late and Mei didn't want anything heavy, so making a small sandwich she sat herself down at the table with a fresh glass of water.

It was now past half eleven, Mei had finished her dish and was contently staring at the oversized stuffed animal sitting beside her.

"She'll be home when she wants to be, we don't need to call her," Mei whispered the words to the bear, almost as if he had suggested the idea that was floating around her head at the moment. Sadly the bear sat unmoving in the hard seat as Mei watched him, looking for some sort of guidance in her current predicament.

She had finished her amazingly refreshing study session, now she wanted Yuzu. Surely there was nothing wrong with that? But then again it had only been seven hours since she had last seen her...

 _She'll call me when she finishes or when she's coming home..._

Mei told herself when she felt her hand reaching for the device in her pocket. She knew she had upset Yuzu the past day or so. Well maybe upset wasn't the right word, she knew she had been though to handle. Her emotions were a little haywire, being nice to her one minute pushing her away or doubting her the next. Calling would _definitely_ seem too clingy, the last thing she wanted was for the blonde to feel she had didn't want her to spend time with Willow and Ashton.

Now that she thought about it, Yuzu hadn't brought up their most recent falling out over the dark-haired boy, calling and asking how long she was going to be would probably look as though she was checking up. And she wasn't.

Right now Mei felt like a completely different person to earlier that day, she couldn't care less if Yuzu spent time with the young man. She had no insecurities towards the subject at the moment, the complete opposite to what she had said to Yuzu earlier. But that was just at the moment, a clear sign that she clearly wasn't in the right headspace right now. She just missed her girlfriend, but calling most likely wouldn't send that message.

Calling wasn't a good idea.

No. Absolutely not.

She would just wait up like every other night.

 _Ring...Ring...Ring._

That was until her phone started vibrating furiously in her pocket, the sound making her jump and smack her knee off the hardwood table. Fumbling for a few seconds and rubbing her bruising knee, Mei pulled the phone out to reveal just the person she was thinking about.

 _Coincidence, I didn't call her by mistake, did I? No, I definitely didn't._

Clarifying that she hadn't mistakenly called the blonde while her thoughts ran, Mei quickly answered the call while taking a quick glance to the clock.

 _11:43_

Surely she would have finished work by now, perhaps she was just calling to say she was on her way to Willow's?

"Hello?" Mei's voice came through slightly quieter than she would have liked, but said nothing else to rectify her tone.

"Hiii babe! Why aren't you here?" The blonde's just slightly slurred speech was transferred through the phone, and Mei couldn't help but double-check the time. Surely the blonde couldn't drink fast enough to already be tipsy, on the verge of drunk.

"I was tired. What time did you finish?" Mei asked.

"Ummmm around half ten I think... came straight here, but you've not shown up!" Mei could hear the pout in her girlfriend's voice and hand no doubt she had her bottom lip pouted out. She gave a verbal groan down the phone. A drunk Yuzu was not the easiest person to explain things to.

"I told Willow to tell you I didn't plan on coming. Remember you have a class tomorrow morning so don't be out too late or drink too much." Mei said as she glanced back to the clock, mentally checking the blonde's school time table.

"Yeah, I know thaat! But I thought you would show up anyway! Please come round, I miss youuu!" The blonde's whining tone came through, Mei wincing as the high pitched plea reached her. She had completely missed the whole part about school, only commenting on what she was interested in. Mei could only smile at the blonde's words, she really was just too cute. Not that Mei would say that to her.

"I'm afraid it's late and I'm not quite feeling up to drinking tonight. I'll wait up for you or if you need me to, I can come and pick you up. Please don't make it too late though, Yuzu, I would like to get to sleep at a decent time tonight." Mei said rather solemnly as she nipped the bridge of her nose in frustration. She wanted Yuzu to stay out and have fun, but she didn't like going to bed until she knew she was home and safe. And if Yuzu did need a lift home she wasn't just going to abandon her, so Mei didn't really have a choice but to stay up.

"Awe Mei pleeeease?!" The blonde asked again as if it would miraculously make the younger girl change her mind.

"Yuzu I said no, I'm happy just to wait until you are ready to come home. I don't have the energy at the moment... just enjoy yourself and let me know when you think you will be home okay?" Her voice a little harsher than she would have liked to begin with, Mei stopped herself for a moment to continue.

There was a silence on the phone for a few seconds, well from Yuzu, Mei could still hear the noisy background.

"...Alright, I love you." And with those four words, the line went dead leaving Mei sitting at the table shocked. Yuzu's voice seemed to sober up at her last statement, maybe she was too harsh when she spoke and had upset the blonde? Sighing again, the raven-haired girl decided it best not to call back and after clearing her dishes away, retired to the couch with a blanket. Mildly confident that a good documentary would cheer her up.

Yuzu, on the other hand, could hear the longing in Mei's final words. She knew she meant them, that she was certain of, but she could feel there was something she just wasn't saying. Something along the lines of she was lonely. Yuzu gave a smile as she looked to her screen; she was getting a lot better at this whole diagnosing her girlfriend's mood.

"Sorry guys ama have to leave early!" Yuzu shouted as she bounced back into the heart of the small gathering, placing her can down on the table as she started putting on her coat and shoes at the door.

Without much else to say, Yuzu made her way down the flat and started on her way home to meet Mei. She couldn't deny that she was rather happy Mei was missing her. In truth she had been waiting to hear from her younger counterpart, wishing she was going to join her at some point even if she had said she wouldn't be attending. Or at least call, but this was good enough for the blonde, she could live knowing Mei was missing her but didn't want to show it.

She was maybe fifteen minutes before she was running up the flat stairs, taking two at a time to beat the clock.

11:57

Bursting in through the front door, Yuzu was a panting mess as small pieces of sweat covered her hairline. She was back before twelve, even if she had to run across the streets to get here.

The door slammed loudly begin her as she rested her panting body against it, much lower than she had intended it to be. If Mei was asleep, she definitely wasn't anymore. She was shrugging her jacket off and just flicking off her flats when she heard a timid voice come from the living room.

"Yuzu?" The quiet voice came cautiously through the house, Yuzu heard the rustling and the TV muted.

"I'm home!" Yuzu shouted back to put Mei at ease that she was alright, and that it was her coming into the apparent.

Briskly walking into the living room, Yuzu saw Mei sitting upright on the couch, surrounded by a blanket a cup of tea in her hands. An animal documentary playing on the television.

"Your home early... Why are you sweating? Are you alright?!" Mei first noticed that it had been less than twenty minutes since she had spoken to the blonde and that she looked pretty much sober now. Then she noticed the sweat on her brow and the heavy pants, panicking that something had happened on her walk home Mei straightened up on the couch as she took in the blonde's appearance.

"I'm completely fine, but I'm back before twelve!" Yuzu grinned as she wiped her forehead with her arm before flopping down onto the couch just at Mei's feet.

Mei could smell the alcohol from the party on the blonde's work clothes but chose not to comment on the matter. She _had_ just run to get back in time.

"You didn't have to leave if you were having a good time. I didn't mean to pressure you into coming home..." Pausing the TV so she didn't miss too much of the different species of bear, Mei nervously cast her gaze to the girl at her feet.

A sweet laugh came from the wide-awake blonde before she rested her hand on Mei's leg and gave a soft squeeze.

"You didn't pressure me, Mei, I wanted to come home. I missed you just like I said!" Yuzu smiled, moving just a little bit closer to Mei on the cushions.

"But I'm sure I do smell a little, so I'm gonna go for the quickest shower possible, then we can do whatever you want!" Slapping her knees before she jumped to her feet, Yuzu gave Mei a final smile before she disappeared down the hall without time for a response. Mei was left speechless again by the blonde, her heart felt like it swelled at Yuzu's reaction. She had nothing to worry about this entire time.

True to her word Mei was met back in the living room a little over five minutes later, a towel being ruffled through damp blonde locks. Now dressed in her normal nightwear of an oversized shirt and shorts, Yuzu gave a smile as she made her way around to Mei.

As soon as Yuzu sat down beside her, Mei could smell the citrus body wash she had used and instantly felt the need to be closer to the blonde.

When Mei didn't say anything as to what she wanted, Yuzu tossed the towel to the floor, not paying attention to the disapproving look she got for it and sat behind Mei. Her legs either side of the younger girl and her back to the armrest. Leaning forward, she placed both hands on Mei's waist as gently pulled her back so they where flush.

Leaning back onto the armrest, Yuzu let Mei go down with her so they were both now lying under the fluffy blanket.

"How bout we just cuddle up here and you can keep watching your show?" After speaking softly, Yuzu placed a soft kiss to the top of Mei's head and reached for the remote. As expected, she got a nod from Mei before she turned in the embrace to better see the TV. Not that she would be able to stay awake for very long once she was snuggled up in the warm embrace.

Her face snuggled into her girlfriend's chest, Mei made sure Yuzu had enough of the blanket then turned her attention back to the screen. Happy with the arm that was around her back tapping a light pattern.

The slow fall and rise of the chest blow her told Mei that Yuzu was on her way to being fast asleep. They had been in this position for less than ten minutes and the blonde was already struggling to keep her eyes open. The alcohol had probably kicked in and was sending her to sleep, leaving Mei the only one awake, but she could still feel the lazy fingers on her back attempting to keep the motion up for Mei. Well aware that the younger girl liked it.

Smiling, Mei raised herself to her elbows to hover above Yuzu for a moment before leaving down to the soft and lightly parted lips of the blonde. It was soft and slow, only a peck, but it was warm and blissful for Mei.

Just as she opened her eyes and pulled back, she was met by barely open emeralds looking back up at her.

"I love you, Mei," Yuzu offered a weak smile up to her girlfriend, her eyes flicking shut again when Mei smiled back and returned to her chest.

 _I love you too_

Mei said to herself as she nuzzled back into a comfy position and returned to the TV. Though it not being long before she was in a similar state to Yuzu. The screen playing to itself as the gentle synchronised breathing filled the room.

...

The sound of traffic and daylight coming in through the window slowly brought Mei out her sleep. She had attempted to turn away from the bright and rather irritating light by snuggling into the blonde's chest, however when she did this all she could find was the soft, but not soft as Yuzu's skin, cushions of the couch.

Curiosity quickly winning over, Mei opened her eyes and was confused and deflated when she was met with the bright living room but no sign of her girlfriend anywhere. The blanket was still wrapped around her, and where the blonde once lay as her pillow was now one of the couch pillows. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes and pulling the blanket back up her body to try and keep the warmth surrounding her, Mei noticed a small piece of paper on the coffee table. A large love heart drawn on the front in red pen.

Leaning forward, the young Aihara picked it up and began to read the familiar handwriting.

 _Morning babe!_

 _Just like you said last night, I have a class first thing but you where sooo cute sleeping I just couldn't wake you! I'll be back this afternoon, so we can spend some time together then. And we can talk about yesterday._

 _Also, I didn't leave without giving you a kiss good morning and I also made you some breakfast it's in the fridge._

 _See you this afternoon,_

 _Love the love of your life, Yuzu! Xoxox_

 _PS!_

 _I love you lots and lots and lots, and I think you are the most beautiful person in the whole wide world! xxx_

Mei felt a heat rise in her cheeks and butterflies in her stomach reading the letter. She could only smile in adoration as she scanned over the note again, Yuzu really was too good to her.

Mei, unlike her girlfriend, didn't have any classes today and would support her study with self-studies from home. Though today would be spent doing just that, Mei did feel like doing something for the blonde even if it was something small. Just something that would make it clear that she was sorry for her temperamental behaviour yesterday. But what could she get Yuzu, she had everything she wanted for.

Mei sat and dwelled over her possibilities for a while before she came to a conclusion. A rather simple one, but one none the less: Earings.

Yuzu was always wearing a pair of earrings, perhaps it was time she got a new pair. After all, Mei hadn't seen her buy any jewellery in weeks, and this was a something Mei had never seen before. For as long as she had known the blonde, Yuzu had always gone out on the weekend with Harumi and returned home with at least one bag of clothing or girlish item.

Having decided what she would get Yuzu, Mei peeled herself from the couch to make her morning cup of coffee and opened the fridge to reveal a plate of scrambled eggs, a pink note on top saying, 'Have a great day, I love you!' Smiling Mei took the plate and heat it up before sitting down with her books and materials at the dinner table. She would spend the morning revising her uni work and head to the jewellers before Yuzu got back. Hopefully, she would be home before the blonde was as well.

The morning passed quickly and before Mei knew it, the alarm she had set on her phone was going off, letting her know that she needed to leave soon or the blonde would beat her home. A mere half-hour later, Mei was walking into the closest jewellers, a serious look on her face as she scanned the hundreds of items behind the glass screens.

What would Yuzu like? Something eye-catching perhaps? Gold or silver? Big or small? Loops or studs? Diamonds or crystal? Plain or colourful? Too many options presented themselves and Mei found herself becoming confused as to what she was looking for. That was until a woman greeted with a small smile.

"Is there something I can help you with today?" The woman gave an encouraging smile as she glanced to the cabinet of earing the young girl was currently looking at.

"Yes thank you, I'm looking to buy my girlfriend a pair of earing but I'm not quite sure... what," Mei said as she looked back to the daunting items all sparkling in the light. She watched as a warm smile appeared on the older woman's face that had most likely appeared due to the nervous expression on her own.

"That's quite alright, you wouldn't believe how many young men get coming in here looking for makeup gifts and having no idea what to get. What are you looking to get today?" The woman laughed at her own joke before going silent and waiting for Mei to speak up. Concerned at the furrow of the young girl's brow, the store assistant was shocked at the words that left Mei's mouth next.

"I am not here for a present to get out of the dog house, I merely want a gift that shows how much I appreciate and love her." It came off rather offensively and the womans hands shot up in a defensive manner as she tried to bow while apologising to her customer.

"Oh not at all, I didn't mean to insinuate anything at all just that we get customers in who are not sure what they are looking for either. I apologise if I have offended you in any way!" The older woman's rushed voice hit Mei's ears and she realised she had taken what the woman had said too personally and tried to coax the lady back to a standing position, giving an apology of her own.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean... You have nothing to apologise for. I just want to get some earings that she will really like, though I don't shop for things like this often so I'm a little lost." Thinking for a moment, Mei retrieved her phone and after flicking through several things, presented the screen to the businesswoman. A young youthful smile graced the screen, bright green eyes sparkling in the natural daylight, and the factor Mei was trying to show was the loop earing that hung from the small ears.

She heard a small gasp from the attendant and shot her a quizzical look, double-checking she had shown the right photo on her screen, she had, so what was with the reaction. The woman quickly pulled herself together, "Sorry, I thought I recognised her from somewhere that is all," She gave a somewhat nervous smile to the young Aihara who only nodded,

"She does spend a great deal of her time shopping and buying jewellery perhaps she has been in here a few times before... Anyway..." Swiping through a few more photos Mei showed many of the different types and styles Yuzu wore.

"They are quite nice, I suppose the question is what are you looking to buy her?" The woman couldn't wipe the smile from her lips from that moment onwards. So rarely did she meet both sides of a couple, much less seeing the love from both parties in such a way. There was just something about the way the young girl in front of her was smiling in adoration at the photos on her phone. She could remember the exact expression on the blonde's face when she had been in to make her first payment not too long ago. Talking about her beautiful girlfriend who she loved so much. Now she was seeing the recipient of such love and could honestly say it was one of the best parts of her job.

Mei thought for a moment. Yuzu did have many rather extravagant earrings, perhaps something simpler that looked like something Mei would buy.

"Probably something smaller like a stud, though I'm not all that sure," Mei said as she turned to the earrings once again, browsing the options There were many different studs, just saying that wasn't much help. Though it did lessen her options somewhat.

Something that said I love you. Something that Mei would buy but something Yuzu would wear. Though if Mei was honest it didn't matter what she bought, if it was a gift from herself then she had no doubt that Yuzu would wear it. After looking into the glass from several more minutes a small pair hidden in the back caught her eye. Why they were put at the back so out of site Mei didn't know, but she wanted to see them.

"Would it be possible to look at those?" Pointing to the small blue box at the back, Mei took a glance to the woman beside her before her eyes went back to the earing in the case. Perhaps she didn't need help after all.

* * *

Mei was in the living room no more than ten minutes before Yuzu walked in the front door, her greeting loud as she stormed the apparent.

"Babe! I'm home!" Skipping into the kitchen, the energetic bundle of blonde tussles struck a pose as she slipped to a halt on the laminate flooring.

"So I can see, how was school?" Mei gave a minute smile at the childish display before her, fully believing Yuzu had the mind of a child some times.

"It was all good, but more importantly how was _your_ day?" making her way to her girlfriend who was currently making tea for the two, Yuzu managed to coax the younger girl away from the teapot and lace her arms over her hips. Effectively pulling Mei away from her current task as a small, very discreet pink tinged the tips of her ears.

"It went well, I got a few hours of study in..." There was a silence in the air as the two looked into the other's eyes. Something drawing the pair closer but neither wanting to break the eye contact they had.

That was until Mei glanced to her purse on the table and back into the bright grass green orbs that still watched her.

"I'm... sorry I was so temperamental the past few days. I haven't treated you fairly at all, I was rude and short-tempered as well as doubting you. I wanted you to know that I'm aware that the way I've been acting isn't right, so I got you something which I hope will make up for it..." Breaking away from the humble embrace, Mei reached for her bag and pulled out a flat rectangular blue box.

It had Yuzu gasping when she saw the box, she didn't know what to say. All she could do was let her mouth hang agape as Mei walked back towards her. The blush much more prominent now than it had been a moment ago.

"It's not much, but you haven't sent shipping in a long time because you are saving and I thought you might like something new..." Mei said as she slowly revealed the silver diamond earring to her shocked still girlfriend.

They were hearts with a few small diamonds on each piece, Mei had though Yuzu would like them. They where cute but reserved didn't look too mature but held a soft of elegance to them. However, maybe she had been wrong. Yuzu hadn't said anything, she had only stared in silence as her eyes where fixed on the box in her shaking hands.

"If-if you don't like them I can take them back and get you something different, or even bring you with me to-" Mei's stuttering was cut off as Yuzu let a whimper escape her lips.

"No Mei... they're beautiful... Thank you," When she finally had it in her to realise she had left Mei waiting a little too long, Yuzu flicked her eyes back to Mei's who's where full of caution.

Yuzu reached out her hand to take the box from her partner, who's hands dropped in relief as if a great weight had just been lifted from her palms.

The blonde was suddenly a ball of excitement as she giddily looked to the gift in her hand. Her eyes scanned them for every detail as her hand reached out to Mei's cheek.

"They're wonderful Mei!" Pressing her lips to the younger girls with more force than intended, Mei felt her body melt and the pressure gone when Yuzu began showing her excitement. Who would've thought that something as simple as this was as nerve-wracking as presenting a meeting or talking to the student body of a school?

Only Yuzu could have that effect on her. Mei was certain of it.

"I love them!" Mei's thoughts were disrupted when she was pulled into a tight embrace as Yuzu placed a few more appreciative kisses to the side her neck as she gave her girlfriend a tight squeeze.

"I'm glad... I love you too Yuzu." Mei said back, knowing Yuzu hadn't said those exact words to her but had meant them all the same. And it was a relief to feel so carefree and relaxed after the bombshell that had been dropped on her not a few days ago. To feel the warmth that encapsulated her right now was enough to make all her worries slip away.

* * *

 **Hi sorry for the long updates but im trying here, I know it's not the chapter yall were hapoing for with the girls altogether but we're getting there alright? Hope you all liked it anyway, I wanted to show that Mei really does love and appreciate Yuzu. Not sure if I conveyed that or just made her look needy but that's what I was going for.**

 **Just in case anyone wanted to know, this is the design I was going for with the earrings,**

. /jewellery-c9/earrings-c13/9ct-white-gold-diamond-heart-earrings-p12923


	44. A Sister's Protection

**_Hi guys, sorry the updates been taking so long, turns out uni is hard and time consuming. This was all I've managed to scrape together but I hope y'all like it._**

 ** _Note this takes place a few weeks after the other chapter and Willow and Mei are becoming closer._**

"Well, who is she?" Willow asked, her eyebrow raised as she watched Mei tut in dissatisfaction at a notification that had come through on her girlfriend's phone. Make no mistake, Mei was not snooping the three where all watching a movie and having lunch at the young couples apartment. Yuzu had been rapidly texting someone for the better part of an hour and, originally thinking it was Harumi Mei thought nothing of it. But when Yuzu went to the bathroom and the phone lit up with another name Mei couldn't help the growl.

" _She_ is one of Yuzu friends." Turning the phone over so she couldn't see the screen, Mei continued. She didn't even want to read the girl's messages.

"Oh just a friend is she? I've seen that look before Mei, I do it literally every time someone comes anywhere near Ash. Tell me more," Willow smiled wickedly and shuffled a little closer to Mei. A childish act but it made Mei momentarily smile.

After spending so much more time with the girl over the weeks since Yuzu was always working, Mei was finding the girls company rather... enjoyable. Many of the things she done where silly things she knew Yuzu done; much like the scootching closer on the couch to receive gossip. But not only that, Willow was a highly intelligent person, someone Mei could discuss business with and not have them yawn in boredom.

A glance to the bathroom and Mei signed.

"I don't like her, for... reasons, but Yuzu already knows and gaurenteed that if she suspects anything then she would cut it off. I'm not going to make her stop being friends but I care little for the girl." Bitterly, Mei managed the sentence but she was sure she grit of the top layer of her teeth.

"Oh hell naw! Surely you can't let some girl be trying to make moves on her when you _know_ she wants to get into bed with Yuzu? You are sure right?" Willow seemed a little flabbergasted at what she was hearing.

"Well if her telling me on several occasions that 'once Yuzu got a taste of her, I would be the last thing she wanted', I'm sure." Mei said.

Why was talking about this so nice? Finally being able to show her dislike towards this girl without trying to be preserved for Yuzu's friendship with the girl. After all, the comments and dirty looks hadn't stopped since she had spoken to her girlfriend about her encounter, if anything it seemed that Yuzu began texting the girl more.

"... I'll have to meet her for a proper assessment, I have a sense for these things, she won't know what hit her when she meets me- and that's why Ash hates chilli!" Willow stuttered as she saw Yuzu was back into the living room.

"By all means, she doesn't seem to listen to me telling her." Mei said quietly as Yuzu sat back down on her left and placed a chaste kiss to her cheek before snuggling into the youngest girls side... And started messaging again. She wasn't trying to hide the fact that she was talking to this girl, Mei could clearly see the messages and she knew Yuzu knew it as well.

Suppose it was more of Yuzu showing that she wasn't hiding anything with the girl, but Mei could care less for the messages. Turning her head back to the TV, Mei watched as Willow seemed to have a new found determination in her eyes as she watched Yuzu's phone.

 _No ones gonna hurt my little sister._

 **Sorry for the shortness but this is all I've had time to write, hope you like it and if you do let me know what you think :)**


	45. Plans

"Ehh I don't think that's a good idea..." Yuzu said unsurely, her eyes flicking from Willow to Mei. Mei, however, didn't seem as against it as she would have expected.

When Willow proposed to have a couple's games night it seemed fun, but when Jasmine's name had been brought up it suddenly seemed like the worst idea in the world.

"Come on, why not?" Willow pried as the three sat in the library. She would have this games night, and she would see if Mei's suspicions were correct.

"Be-because... because you said 'she was under no circumstances allowed in the house' !" Yuzu whined, the current situation confusing her more than anything else. Why was Mei sitting so quietly, just a few months ago she refused to look at the girl, now she wanted this?

"It's happening at Matsuri's house." Mei simply stated, not letting the blonde try and catch her out.

"Wh-" Was all Yuzu could muster at her girlfriend's response. Surely she wasn't hearing correctly. They weren't going to have a couple's games night, that Matsuri was planning and Jasmin was going to be there with her boyfriend. Then again maybe if Jasmin brought her boyfriend it would make Mei understand that nothing was going to come of their friendship, apart from well... friendship.

After a couple more hopeless glances to her girlfriend, Yuzu gave a sigh and nodded in defeat.

"Great! I'll message you with the details, I've got lunch to get to so I'll see yous later Kay?" Jumping from her seat in victory, Willow swung her bag over her shoulder and bounced out the room with a wave of her hand. Leaving Mei sitting uncomfortably with the blonde's stare directed at her.

After more than a minutes silence the older finally spoke. "What's all this about, I thought you hated Jasmine?" Shuffling in her chair as she waited for an answer, Yuzu couldn't help the confusion whirling around in her head. Mei was normally a hard cookie to crack, but this was just impossible. Not even the greatest of phycologist could crack this girls mind.

"I... Don't want to talk about it." Mei said, not taking her eyes of the paper before her, her grip tightening on the pen.

"Mei C'mon? You can't just say you don't wanna talk about it. What are you trying to do?" Moving her chair around the table, Yuzu tried to pry the pen from her girlfriend's stiff fingers. When having no luck with her task, Yuzu let an annoyed sigh leave her lips. It was then that Mei spoke.

"Willow wanted to meet the girl you are always texting. After I told her who _she_ was, she wanted to meet her In person. It wasn't my idea nor is it my "plan.'" Mei said, keeping her posture straight and turned away from the blonde. This wasn't the proudest moment of her life, but then again she had many that weren't.

"Really?" Her eyebrow raised at the confirmation of a nod she got, "This is silly, I thought we talked about me and Jasmin Mei?" In a rather whining and defeated tone, Yuzu grumbled as she let her head drop to the table.

"I did just say it was for Willow not for me." It was rather snippy, but warranted given how much Mei knew compared to the blonde in regards to the blue eyed girl's motives.

"Nevermind then... Just don't get what yous think would ever come of us though, I've told you even if she did try anything I would tell her I'm not interested." Lifting her reddening forehead from the table, Yuzu looked back to her girlfriend to see her now facing her.

With a quick glance around the mostly empty room, Mei stood from her chair and taking Yuzu's hand as she stared walking away, pulled them into an empty isle.

Gently pushing the shorter girl up against the collum of books Mei spend just a flicker of a second looking into the green pools before moving her lips to the now pink ear.

"So, if she was to pin you to the wall just like this..." Mei pushed her full form against the blonde's, making sure to entangle their legs to stop her from getting away.

"And whispered in your ear slowly, before kissing you just below your ear where you can't help but give in..." Mei did just that. Her lips slowly taking the pulsing skin within her lips, giving a gentle but fully skilled suck to the collum of the blonde's neck.

"Even then would you have it in you to push her away?" As the words rippled somewhere near silently across the plump wet lips, Mei began a trail of similar motions down the length of the blonde's neck. Stopping only once she'd reached the collar bone.

Mei could feel the spike in the blonde's heart rate, her breath was heavy in her ear and most importantly the subdued moans that escaped the blonde's lips. All the while Yuzu stood motionless, her hands planted firmly at her side.

"Y-yes!" After a moment's worth of silence Yuzu finally stuttered a response, all be it a shaky one.

With those words Mei stepped back, her eyes now serious as she looked at the state her girlfriend was in. Panting, red in the cheeks. She looked like she had just ran ten miles in the blazing sun and was just catching her breath.

"Very well... we're going home. Now." Turning back to the table, Mei quickly started packing up their belongings.

"What why?" After catching her breath, Yuzu followed behind Mei, desperately trying to catch up with the taller girl's long strides.

It wasn't until she had bumped into the small back did she notice Mei had stopped moving.

"Because we are going to continue this." It was said in such a serious tone that Yuzu almost didn't catch the look of pure want and possessiveness in Mei's eyes.

"No," Yuzu said with a firm nod, taking the book bag from Mei's hand. The incredulous look she received from Mei was one that made her rethink her decision to deny her girlfriend of what she wanted.

Mei went to open her mouth to respond several times but each time she couldn't think of what to say. Had Yuzu really just point black turned her down? The confusion and frustration must have been easy to spot as it was only moments before Yuzu gave a soft smile.

"I don't wanna sleep with you when your all hyped up on jealousy. I can see it in your eyes... besides you're being really possessive which means that you're rough and dominant... I don't want that right now..." Yuzu tried to continue her smile but the ongoing look of frustration in her partner's gaze made it hard.

"C'mon Mei, don't be like that..." dropping the bag to the floor, the blonde wrapped her arms around Mei's waist and pulled her closer.

"You know you can be super rough when you're rilled up... why don't we just stay here and study a little more?" Her voice as soft as butter, Yuzu expertly ran her hands up the taller girl's sides. Clearly having the correct effect as Mei let out a sigh and nodded in defeat.

"Sorry, I'm aware I can be a little bit rough sometimes..."

"Hey I didn't say I dislike it when you're rough with me, what I don't like is when it's because of jealousy. When it's just because you think I'm looking sexy... I love it..." Leaning up into Mei's ear, Yuzu whispered into the pink hot flesh and gave a short giggle when she heard Mei's breath catch in her throat.

Once again, Mei gave a nod of her head and tried to move out of the blonde's grasp, her ears getting too hot next to the blonde's lips.

"Let's get back to studying?" Yuzu asked as she let herself drop into the hard chair and waited for Mei to follow.

After taking a few breaths to collect herself Mei, much more graciously, say down next to the blonde.

"... I never would have thought you of all people would turn down sex for studying..." Mei mumbled, her book flopping open as she tried to find her place.

"Guess I'm full of surprises then!" Planting a firm kiss to the younger's cheek, Yuzu gave a bright smile and started her own studying again. This game night would surely be a big mistake, but if it would make Mei happy she would play along with the idea.


	46. Relationship Issues

"She wants to move in..." Fingers running through her hair, Harumi let out long heavy sigh. With her head currently in the blonde's lap, the brunette finally let her troubles out.

Yuzu opened her mouth to speak but was cut off as Harumi shot up to a sitting position. "I mean we haven't even been officially dating for a year yet! We're just coming up ten months and she's bringing stuff like this up!" A frustrated grunt left her lips as Harumi flopped back onto her friend's legs.

"I just don't know what to tell her... Yeah she's my girlfriend but I'm not sure we're like you and Prez..." Harumin whined, seemingly more to herself than to the blonde. Either way they were cut off by the youngest girl as she walked into the sitting room, only mildly displeased with the current seating arrangement.

"That's something we can agree on," Mei said as she placed the blonde's tea down on the coffee table.

"Hey! Don't be mean to her Mei." Yuzu defended as she gave a discrete smile to her girlfriend's comment.

"No, Mei's right. You wouldn't think it, but Matsuri is really domesticated like you guys are. I just need my space, I don't know how you guys do it. What am I supposed to do when she annoys me or if I just wanna sit by myself, or what about all her computer stuff and-" Harumi's ramblings were put to a stop as Mei's rather cold voice sounded throughout the living room.

"That's called having a relationship, you learn to live with it." Mei, after stating her fact, was just in the process of leaving the room when she was stopped by the sound of her girlfriend's voice. Turning, she was met with a cheeky grin and a raised eyebrow that she assumed was meant to be a pout.

"Learn to live with it do you?" Yuzu mimicked, trying to sound annoyed at the comment but unable to hide the humour on her face.

"But she's right you know? If you do move in together you will have to deal with all that..." Another grumble left her friends lips, clearly showing her distaste.

"You don't have to say yes you know, Matsuri's not gonna force you into anything." Trying to comfort her friend, Yuzu was slightly shocked when Harumi's eyes snapped open to look up at her.

"No she'll just make me sound like the bad guy. Do you know the grief she gave me about asking for some time to think about it? She's probably more emotional than you are sometimes Yuzucchie, if I say no then she'll either get upset with me or get mad at me. Both end up her in ignoring me for days, I'm in an impossible situation!"

It had happened yesterday when Matsuri had came around in th afternoon and stayed for dinner. The topic had been one that Harumi had purposefully been avoiding due to the hints her girlfriend had been leaving the past week or so. When initially hesitant in her answer Matsuri had provided a good argument and had almost persuaded her to say yes, but her rationality kicked in. Thank God it had or Harumi would have been cursing herself now.

Matsuri had left not long after receiving the vague answer, obviously the younger's was of stopping herself from saying anything impulsive.

Now here she was, debating the pros and cons of the situation with her best friend and having Mei jump in now and again whenever she was bringing something for the blonde. Something else the brunette was seeing today was just how hooked Mei was on the blonde. Bringing her whatever she asked for with little to no complaints.

Matsuri was much the same to her, but what about all the unknowns? What about all the arguments or the disagreements? She wouldn't be able to creep back into the corners of her room for space or to distance herself from everyone.

"You know no one else can answer this for you? Maybe it's something you need to talk to Matsuri about, but even if you did move in together, if it was as tough as you think it'll be then yous can always take a step backwards? It's not like you will be chained down to the decision forever." Yuzu smiled as she stroked her fingers through the girl's bangs.

"Yeah I suppose so..." Harumi agreed as she peeled herself from the couch. "I should head out, I've been here nearly all day. I'll text you once I've made up my mind." Placing a chaste kiss to the blonde's cheek, Harumi rolled her eyes at the glare she got from Mei, who for whatever reason, was standing in the door way to the hall.

"You act as though that's the worst we've done." Harumi grinned as she watched Mei grit her teeth together.

"And if _she_ wants to get anything once you leave, there won't be any more of it." Mei growled, no one would be kissing her girlfriend and getting away with it. That was if Yuzu wanted to get past first base tonight.

Looking down to her friend, she was greeted with an awkward smile that told her 'Shut the fuck up!'.

"Right well guess I'll be going then," With a glance back to Mei to meet a growingly irritated expression, Harumi grabbed both her bag and her coat and left the couple in what she knew was a tense silence.

When the door clicked shut it was mere moments before Mei was standing in front of her girlfriend.

"What did she mean?" The tone was so drastically different from what it had been minutes prior, Yuzu almost didn't want to respond.

"She meant nothing by it, it was waaay back in high school and nothing happened..." Hooping her fingers around Mei's waist, Yuzu gave a slight huff when she pulled her pouting girlfriend onto her lap.

"I was too caught up on you to notice anyone else," A large sweet smile made its way over the blonde's lips as she smiled up to the younger girl.

"You only say that in hopes of taking _this_ further. It's getting late and we haven't had dinner yet," Mei fired back as she removed herself from the blonde's lap. Harumi had been there since she woke up, waking up to see her girlfriend and her best friend sitting playing games wasn't the best wake up call. It was now a little past the pairs normal meal time, she had spend the day listening to loud giggles and fits of laughter, then sorrows and relationship problems; Mei for one, wasn't best pleased with the days course of action.

"Okay, okay I get it!" Exaggeratedly pulling herself from the couch, Yuzu pushed a mushy kiss to Mei's cheek before skipping to the kitchen.

"I'll call you through when it's ready okay?"

A curt nod of the head later and the blonde was left alone in the front rooms, a small smile still gracing her lips as she took a moment to take in the life she had. About the life she planned to live until she say old.

Hours had passed, dinner eaten and plates washed and put away, Yuzu was now sitting in-between her girlfriend's legs, her lips stuck in a passionate kiss.

The movie night on the couch couldn't have taken a better turn if Yuzu had asked for it. Mei seemed extremely keen and Yuzu was in no mood to object. Running her hands up and along the firm thighs, Yuzu couldn't help the butterflies in her stomach when Mei released the kiss to let a moan escape.

"Do you want to go through to-" Yuzu, in the midst of taking, was cut off as the lusting eyes that had been gazing down at her blinked shut and her lips where taken hold of again. A gentle tongue parting those very lips with little hesitation a moment later.

Mei who had been holding off for as long as she could, couldn't help giving the blonde curls a slight tug as her fingers worked through them, the mixture of a groan and hiss she got from her girlfriend was so definitely worth it. She had came through looking for some _satisfaction_ this morning, now, not only had she had to keep to herself all day, she had been teased. Going to the bedroom, as courteous it may have been of the blonde to ask, was far from on the younger girl's mind.

Chests where panting and groans where prominent in the room, this was the first time the young couple had planned to go this far in the front rooms. Mei had always been adamant that being intimate should always take place in the bedroom. It was a feeling of privacy and security the younger girl preferred, something about being openly naked on the couch had seemed uncomfortable previously.

No matter how many times the blonde had asked in the past, she was always turned down and told to take it to the bedroom. So tonight for the dark headed girl to be stripping her shirt off and tossing it to the living room floor was a surprise.

The kiss was rough dominant, after a few moments longer the lips where released and the pulsing skin of the blonde's neck and jaw were taken grasp of instead.

"These lips... They're mine." The statement came rather harshly over busy lips, Mei's words forcing a strong nod from her girlfriend.

"Always," The response came as a gasping breath when teeth sunk into her neck. Mei could never resist leaving a bite on the blonde's neck and shoulders, but who was the blonde to complain? She couldn't deny the feeling of electricity that ran through her from the pain and pleasure all at once.

"Good." It was sharp and blunt, and before the words had left the air Mei was pushing the blonde down onto her back. The prominent presence of lust in her girlfriend's purple spheres where a small tip to the older that this wasn't going to be a quick night. For that reason alone she couldn't help the grin that made its way to her lips as she pulled down on Mei's neck to connect her lips with her girlfriend's once more.

* * *

The clock was striking twelve when Yuzu felt hot slick walls clamp down on her fingers for the final time that night. Mei, who was panting mercilessly, let a moan rip from her throat that came from so deep in her chest it gave the blonde that familiar feeling of tingling in her tummy.

Several more seconds of convulsings later and Mei was slowly crawling on top of her girlfriend's uneven chest, a blanket in hand as she placed her head on the older girls shoulder. Their skin was tacky with sweat and effort, but that didn't bother the pair at all.

It was quite apart from the sound of breathing in the room and the background noise of the TV neither had thought to switch off at all. With a warm hand coming up to caress the side of her jaw, Yuzu smiled and let herself melt into the couch when soft gentle lips worked on the other side of her neck: Mei was being nice. One thing Yuzu craved after sex was sweetness, and Mei felt inclined to give it to her tonight.

"Stop or I'll get excited again," It was more of a giggle than anything, spoken as she ran her fingers up her girlfriend's nude back. Yuzu giving a soft smile when the lips on her neck ceased as if to take in the sensation on her back.

"I'm glad you managed to get this weekend off work.. I've been... seeing less and less of you lately..." It was quiet, almost like a muse Mei was saying more to herself than the blonde beneath her.

"Hey, I know I've been busy, but I've had some assignments due in recently so when I've not been at work I've been in the library or at a study group... I know you where upset that I spent the whole day with Harumin, but tonight and tomorrow I'm all yours!" Giving a squeeze as if to get her point across, Yuzu pulled the blanket up over the pale shoulders in front of her, settling down on the couch preparing for sleep.

"Tomorrow we're going to Matsuri's so I won't have you for the entire day," It was a reminder Yuzu had hoped Mei would have forgotten. But then again that was a silly thought, Mei never forgot something like that.

"Yes we'll... that's at night so I can spend all day with you." Smiling down, Yuzu accepted the silence as an agreement and reached out for the remote to switch the TV off. It being clear that Mei's eyelids where already struggling to stay open.

"Good night, I love you." Yuzu whispered in such a sweet voice Mei could only respond with a lasting kiss to the girls cheek.

"I love you too," There was a brief smile before her head dipped back beneath the blonde's line of sight and a weight was restored to the blonde's chest.

Tomorrow was either going to go one of two ways, Yuzu could only hope that it didn't escalate too far. She had an inkling that Willow was a tad more protective over her cousin that she let on, Yuzu had witnessed it several times in the few weeks they had all been together but had chosen to pay it little attention.

However, only time would tell and at the moment she was happy just to sink into the peaceful slumber that awaited her; Tomorrow Yuzu could deal with the stress.

* * *

 ** _And that's it for this chapter, I know it's been an age since I've updated but this is about all I've had time to muster up._**

 ** _Hopefully the next chapter won't be too far away and *should* be of the small party._**

 ** _I have a feeling it's gonna end up with either Mei or Willow catching Jasmin in the act and putting the little minx in her place, but let me know how you would like to see the chapter play out._**

 ** _Anyway thanks for reading and being soo patient with the hectic upload schedule, be sure to let me know what you thought :)_**

 ** _Ps, per a comment on the story, I would like to let y'all know that Willow is about as straight as they come. Nothing has happened between Willow and Mei during their childhood, purely friendship and family bond._**


	47. Update

Hi guys updates coming soon, trying to push out a longer chapter as I don't really want to split this up into smaller chunks.

Thanks for the patience and all the support so far!


	48. Off to a good start

Hi guys, thanks for the patience in getting this chapter out, finally got a longer one out so Yay for longer chapters.

I ended up having to split this chapter into two, it was getting pretty long and I wasn't close to finishing the night. So instead of waiting another two weeks before publishing anything, I thought I'd do half and half.

* * *

Yuzu awoke to the smell of burning through the house, the sharp smell hitting her senses and dragging her from her slumber faster than a bolt of lighting. Her body snapping up as her eyes flew open. "MEI?!" Eyes scanning the sheets draped over her body, Yuzu was stunned to not only find herself alone on the couch, but the clatter of a pan and squeal that came from the kitchen.

Her eyes adjusting to the light and squinting to the room beside her, Yuzu watched as the pan hit the floor.

"Mei?" Now fully awake, Yuzu rose to her knees on the sofa to see a frying pan along with a white mix smeared across the kitchen floor. Mei had jumped back and let out a small squeal when her name was shouted, leaving her cheeks painted red and her eyes wide at the mess she had made.

Now knowing the house wasn't burning down, Yuzu took a better look at the pan on the floor: The base of the pan being covered in the mix that was now spilt over the floor... only it was crisp black.

Quickly scouting her clothes from the night before, Yuzu stumbled off the couch and over to her lover who was now in the process of trying to clean her mess up.

"Mei, are you trying to cook me breakfast?" Yuzu asked with a grin as she wrapped an arm around the slim waist before her. Given the mess that was on the floor, perhaps the big grin Yuzu wore wasn't quite appropriate, but she couldn't help it; Mei was trying to cook her breakfast. Even if it did look like it had been prepared by a child, Yuzu would happily eat it.

Her ears burning with embarrassment, Mei gave a short nod before breaking free of her girlfriend's grasp, not feeling like she deserved the embrace. "I believe 'trying' would be putting it nicely," Mei said, her bitter response earning her a chuckle from her girlfriend.

"Hey, it's the thought that counts, why don't we make something together?" Yuzu suggested as she reached for the kitchen role to assist in cleaning up the mess.

"I appreciate the offer, but I don't really feel like cooking anymore, the moment has passed. If you want breakfast you'll just have to have toast or something, I'll clean up this mess." Frowning to herself, Mei shuffled once again out of the hands that tried to snake around her waist. But again the small warm hands founds themselves wrapped around her sides. Insistent on trying to comfort her.

"Yuzu will you stop it?! I'm trying to clean this up." Her voice raising didn't stop the hands closing around her waist and lips connecting on the back of her bare neck.

"Mei you only burnt the pan, it's nothing to worry about. We can just clean the pan and redo them." Yuzu smiled as she felt the body in her arms relax at her words.

"You shouldn't have to. You always make me breakfast, I should at least be able to cook you something simple like this without you having to help. It isn't exactly breakfast in bed if you have to help cook, is it?" Mei mumbled, her voice absent of its normal authoritative tone in the open kitchen.

"No, but... I love cooking with you so this is just as good as breakfast in bed. Now, will you let me help you with that so we can start cooking our breakfast?" Yuzu said softly, her hands having moved from her girlfriend's waist to her shoulders, giving them soft rubs as she spoke.

"You know it really is sweet that you tried to make me breakfast, this is why I love you so much. You act so cold to everyone but you really are a sweetheart!" Yuzu giggled through a smile as she drew them both to a standing position, her hands coming to rest on either side of the younger's face.

The next few seconds were spent looking in tot eh others eyes. Mei found adoration and happiness in the shimmering green gems. Not a sign of discontent within them. The smile that rested upon her girlfriend's lips was warm and genuine, it was moments like this that made Mei realise how much she loved the blonde.

As quickly as Mei had changed her mood about preparing her beloved some pancakes, her eyes now held a sheen of lust in them. Dodging the lips that where coming daringly close to her own, her head dipped down taking the slightly salty skin between her lips, her tongue making quick work of the pulsing flesh.

Yuzu was too good for her.

"M-Mei, I thought you wanted breakfast?" Fingers running through her hair, Yuzu managed a wavering gasp when the lips didn't stop. God damn, why did her neck have to be so sensitive?

Mei's head lifted, her lips finally crashing against her girlfriend's despite their harsh breathing. "I do, the only thing changing is my meal." Without a moment's more warning, Yuzu found the shorts she had only just managed to put on, back at her ankles.

After a trail of kisses was made down her chest, Yuzu's breathing watch beyond rapid. This new Mei willing to have sex in the front rooms was something Yuzu couldn't help but get off on. Before Yuzu had time the wrap her head around the fact of how quickly the morning had escalated, she felt Mei's hot mouth hovering over lips.

Mei gave a few short nips to her girlfriend's thighs with her teeth

Yuzu now having one hand gripping ferociously at the countertop and the other scrunching black locks as Mei's hot tongue worked her already slick lower lips.

"Urghhh Mei, that's it! Keep, keep doing that!" Her voice growing in volume, Yuzu couldn't help the hot n heavy moans that left her mouth when Mei moved to her clit.

It was early, the blonde had only just woken up, she wasn't mentally prepared for oral. That's what Yuzu kept telling herself when three minutes in, her thighs where clamping Mei's face into her crotch as her body shook with pleasure.

Mei took no notice, almost as if she had expected the short show. Instead, she ran her tongue up the inside of the blonde's twitching thighs catching the juices she had let escape.

"Mei, I-I didn't mean to come tha-" Through her panting and pink cheeks, Yuzu was struggling to hold eye contact with her girlfriend. Sure it didn't sound that bad, but compared to ten hours ago, Yuzu had really underperformed. Or at least that's what was running through the blonde's mind as she tried to bring Mei to her feet without actually looking at her.

"You didn't mean to what? Cum all over my lips in a matter of minutes?" Doing as the blonde silently asked, Mei came to a standing position and purred into the red hot ear of her girlfriend. Hands still tracing the hot clammy skin of her lover.

She heard Yuzu pout and cheeks puff up, clearly trying to come up with an excuse.

"It must mean you were really enjoying yourself, and that... my dear Yuzu, is nothing to be embarrassed about." Mei's words were spoken so sweetly they sounded venomous; seeping into the blonde's bloodstream like oxygen. The only thing Yuzu could focus on was the teeth grazing her throat and the heavy breath that coated her skin.

Oh shit, Mei's never called me that before. Fuck she's so hot when she talks like this!

"O-okay!" Nodding her head so fast blonde stands fell to the sides of her face, Yuzu could feel the heat in her cheeks refusing to die down.

Fingers traced across her jaw before her head was gently tugged down to look at her girlfriend. "Now that I've had my appetizer, why don't we make some food and we can continue this tonight?" Words, again spoken so sweetly nobody would have believed they left an Aihara's mouth. Mei ever so slowly bent down to the floor before gently dragging up the blonde's shorts.

"Absolutely!" Yuzu said, with almost too much excitement in her voice at the proposal.

And just like that, Mei gave a final kiss to the blonde's neck as if to satisfy her until later, before turning back to the mess that still stuck to the floor behind her.

Yuzu, after taking a moment to collect herself and stop the quaking in her knees dropped down to help her lover in cleaning the mess. Planting a big kiss to the ravens cheek, "I love you Mei," these simple words causing speckles of rose across the younger's cheeks.

And just like that, the day was off to a better start than Yuzu could have hoped for. Maybe with all this extra attention Mei was seeking and showing her, tonight wouldn't be too bad after all.

The afternoon passed quickly with Yuzu having planned a date for the two after breakfast. They had started with a quiet walk in the autumn air, the perfect opportunity to hold hands due to the cold breeze, gone for a late lunch before Yuzu had forced herself to go to a museum.

Today was about spending time with Mei, and instead of dragging her around the mall as she usually did, knowing it wasn't exactly what the younger would class as 'fun', Yuzu booked them two tickets for one of the most boring places in town: The history museum. But Mei seemed to be enjoying herself, taking a genuine interest in the displays. It wasn't the perfect date for the blonde, but it was definitely one worth having because Mei was enjoying herself.

Soon it was getting dangerously close to the time they needed to be at Matsuri's. And so, with a quick pit stop to buy a small bear keyring for Mei, the two headed home to get ready.

Tonight was a couple's games night, planned completely by Matsuri, not even Harumi had been given secret info on what the night would entail. It appeared the young girl had taken this quite seriously as just after Yuzu had agreed to the night, both her and Mei had received an email of invitation.

Dear Yuzu/Mei, glad to see you could both make it on Saturday, this is a formal confirmation of what I expect from both.

It's a small group of people: Me and my babe, Yuzu and Mei, Jasmin and Nate and lastly Willow and Ashton. All couples are expected to bring their A-game and come dressed to impress, anything that doesn't meet my expectations won't make it through the front door. Mei this applies to you too.

The night will be full of drinking, competitions, tests of trusts and questions of truths. Anyone unwilling to participate in any game will be asked to leave, no matter the activity. No exceptions!

Be here around seven, last couple to arrive gets a special treat, so let's not be late. Any questions probably won't be answered so don't ask, see all you hot bitches then! Matsuri, XX

"Her email was rather vulgar and did not follow the correct structure, I'm starting to wonder how she was the top of her class in the academy..." Mei said as she read through the email again. When she and Willow had asked for it to be held at the pink-haired girl's house they didn't expect to receive anything like this.

"Yeah I know, but she's a smart kid you know?! Anyway Mei... What are you going to be wearing, remember we're dressing to win here?" A large grin over her lips, Yuzu brushed through Mei's clothes looking for an outfit that would do more than compliment her curves.

"You seem to be enjoying this Yuzu," Mei replied as she put her phone down, eyebrow-raising at the blonde.

"Hey, I just think it's funny and ironic how she purposely called you out in the email for dress code. We've got to make you look smoking hot, I mean not that you're not already really hot, no not hot- pretty, what-what I mean is that, we both need to dress up!" Feeling as though she was digging herself a hole, Yuzu brought her ramblings to an end and turned back towards the closet. She would find her outfit first.

Yuzu was well aware of why this whole party was arranged in the first place, wearing something too revealing didn't quite seem like a smart idea. That would probably be something she would get in trouble for later, and she was expecting some special treatment tonight, not something she wanted to put in jeopardy.

"What do you think of this? I've only worn it a couple of times so I think it should be okay?" Holding a pair of skinny ripped jeans and a sheer mesh long sleeve top that tied with a ribbon at the back of the neck. It was revealing, to say the least, but this counted as being fully covered right? She had to at least be hot enough to get in the door.

Yuzu watched as Mei studied the set of clothes presented before her. Eyebrows knitting together as her nose scrunched up in dissatisfaction.

"Wear what you want," was all Mei said before getting off the bed. "But if that's the most respectable thing you could muster, we need to go through your clothes and buy you some new ones." Moving over to pick herself an outfit, Mei didn't say anything more on the girl's wardrobe options, even when Yuzu let a shriek of shock out at the statement.

"What?!... You know Mei, I think you would look really good in this?" It was more of a question than a statement, it being said as the blonde held the top up to the younger's chest and studied it.

"I think it would look reeeally good on you." Pushing the top into Mei's hands, Yuzu scanned the younger's wardrobe for a similar pair of jeans and handed them to her as well.

"This will definitely get you through the door!... And it means I can wear something else." Yuzu said the last part when she noticed Mei was about to say no. Funny enough, her thinking worked and Mei took the clothes with acceptance.

"This means I... can look at your sexy body all night," Yuzu smirked as her feet pulled her towards her girlfriend, fingers slipping under the baggy shirt to grab hold of the skin beneath. Her eyes flicking up and down the younger's body as her words hit the air.

"Better mine than anyone else's," The words were quick off Mei's tongue, the remark turning the hot air between the two bitter and tense. As fast as the air had turned sharp, Yuzu removed her hands and with a click of her tongue was running them through her hair as she turned away.

"Really, Mei I thought you said you were passed this?" It was more of a grunt than anything else, obvious annoyance shown by the way Yuzu was now rummaging through her clothes to find something suitable.

"Honestly I can't do anything right! I so much as glance at someone and you get mad, and when I try to compliment you, you just imply that I'm not being sincere and would rather be with someone else! I just don't get it, I can't win." Frustration taking over as the unfortunate shirt that was in the blonde's grasp got thrown into the wardrobe. The soft fabric leaving a dull thud sound in the room as it smacked against the wood.

Silence took over the room. Leaning against the wardrobe doors, Yuzu took a moment to collect herself before sighing.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to say that or raise my voice, it's just... hard. I don't know what to say when you come out with things like that... I thought you said you trusted me?" Turning back to Mei, Yuzu waited for her response; Surely Mei had an explanation for her comment? Had the blonde said or done something which implied she would want to look elsewhere? But Mei couldn't make eye contact with her girlfriend, no matter how much Mei wanted to she could bring herself to look up from the shirt that was now grasped tightly in her hands.

Not even Mei knew why she had said that, it was a silly and insensitive thing to say. All Yuzu had done since finding out about Mei's... thoughts, was try and prove her otherwise. She had given no indication that she truly wished to be with anyone else. This was Jasmin getting inside her head, that was the only logical conclusion Mei could come to as to why she still felt like Yuzu wasn't fully hers yet. As if there was a lingering possibility that she would leave if the offer was tempting enough.

Stop being stupid, Yuzu wouldn't do that, this is just me doubting her. I do trust you.

"You apologise too much, I shouldn't have said that, you are not in the wrong. I do trust you, I don't know why I said it. Please, forget I said anything." The words were rather quiet, but sincere all the same.

"Are you sure you want to go Mei? We don't have to, I know and you know that nothing would ever come of me and Jasmin, I wouldn't let it. What are you trying to prove by making us go to this?" Yuzu asked, her voice both concerned and curious about what this evening would actually achieve apart form some bonding time with their friends.

"It was Willow who wanted to arrange this not me, maybe I pushed for it because I need some sort of confirmation? I don't know, I don't want to talk about it." Mei's answer sounded more confused than the blonde's question, the uncertainty in her voice made it all the more difficult for Yuzu to understand.

"Fine if that's what you want... I didn't mean to spoil the mood or anything, we've had such a nice day, how about we just forget it?" Yuzu asked after a few moments of awkward silence. Tonight would be awkward enough without adding extra tension to the equation. Plus after such a good date the blonde didn't really want to argue about something like this; This had already been argued previously and it didn't get them anywhere.

"You can wear whatever you want, you'll look great," Mei said as she offered a small smile. The statement acting as a peace offering for the two.

"Thanks," Yuzu smiled as she accepted the apology. Reaching for the clothes in the younger's hands, Yuzu gave a gentle tug.

"You don't have to wear that shirt Mei, you look good in anything and no matter what I'll make sure Matsuri lets you in." Though even at her words, the shirt wouldn't budge.

"No I'll wear it, Matsuri said to dress appropriately and I will. You said yourself I would look good in this." Mei said as she looked at the shirt in her hands.

Yuzu could only smile at her girlfriend's attempts to cheer her up. Closing the space that had grown between them, Yuzu cupped the younger's face and gave a brief kiss to her cheek.

"I know you will," Taking a step back towards her wardrobe Yuzu browsed her options for a moment longer. After a time that Mei would describe as 'Too long', Yuzu emerged from the bedroom wearing a simple but flattering black dress.

Mei was the first to speak as she stood up straight to greet the blonde. "You look nice," It was a welcomed gesture from the younger girl, Yuzu however was slightly stuck on taking in her girlfriend who had taken the liberty of changing in the bathroom.

There was one set of lingerie that drove Yuzu crazy; Black lace that showed enough cleavage to draw eyes but didn't show anything below board. But Mei solemnly wore this due to the fact that it seemed a bit much for everyday use. Well to be fair she solemnly wore any lingerie, she felt embarrassed but powerful at the same time. It was a feeling she had endured with the blonde so few times she could chop off some of her fingers and still count the number of occasions on one hand. But she knew the impact it had on her blonde beloved. And she was dressing to impress.

Her cheeks scarlet, Yuzu muttered a small thanks as she took in the sight of her girlfriend. Her denim jacket looked better than she could have hoped on Mei.

A visible gulp of saliva could be seen as the blonde swallowed down her excitement towards the woman before her. Was now later enough to continue where they left things this morning?

Apology accepted Yuzu thought as she burned the image into her memory banks.

"And you look... amazing," It was husky, pure desire and infatuation masking her words. Mei as if on queue, nodded as her own cheeks lit up.

Well, at least she likes it.

Mei thought as she gave one last look to her dress choice. She wouldn't have been seen dead in something like this two years ago, but she was confident in her body and this was for Yuzu. She was sure she would do anything for the blonde, wearing something like this was a simple task Mei was more than willing to partake in. Not to say she wasn't slightly anxious about everyone else there being able to take the sight in.

The disagreement now in the back of the blonde's mind, Yuzu grabbed her purse and made her way to the door; Holding it open for her girlfriend as she followed suit.

"Are we driving or walking?" Yuzu asked as she glanced at her second love. Without meaning to, Yuzu had a spring of hopefulness to her question. It was known that Yuzu was attracted to the car when they had first seen it, but Mei had said on several occasions she felt the blonde's love for the car rivalled her love for her.

It was an obsession the younger didn't quite understand. All the eyes following the car on the road or the prying eyes when they got out, wasn't something Mei particularly liked, but that didn't mean it wasn't worth it for the smile it put on the blonde's face.

"We can drive and we will just have to get a taxi home," Mei said, truthfully feeling grateful they would be taking the car. She was willing to wear this for the blonde, but having the entire neighbourhood looking at her chest was not something she wanted to experience.

Saying this as she made her way over to the passenger side, Mei smiled at the giggle of excitement she got from her girlfriend. God how she loved that laugh and how such little things could bring it out.

"Thanks, Mei!" Yuzu expressed again as she jumped into her favourite seat, and with another glance to her girlfriend, Yuzu started up the car and pulled out.

It was difficult for Mei to watch her lover's distress and impatience during the drive to their friends house. Her thighs constantly rubbing together, fingers gripping and releasing the wheel as if to release some tension, her eyes constantly flicking to the woman beside her. Mei was very much aware of these signs, Yuzu had a bad case of horniness that needed attending to, Mei could only assume it was due to her attire.

Soon Matsuri's house was coming into view, but instead of driving up to the house, Yuzu drove straight to the road end.

"Yuzu what are you...doing?" Mei started out confused, but when she saw the blonde unbuckle her belt and carefully climb on top on her, it became pretty clear where her girlfriend wanted to take this.

There was a moment of silence between the two before Yuzu couldn't help it any longer, the gravitational pull of their lips was impossible to hold off. Her lips pushed down onto her girlfriend's, her ever so soft lips felt like heaven to the riled up blonde. God how she wanted Mei's fingers inside her right now.

Mei was now aware of why Yuzu had parked facing the hedge; The windows where tinted... no one would be able to see them... There really was no logical explanation for her to say no.

"You look so hot Mei, can't help it" Breath already heavy, Yuzu leaned over her girlfriend. There was a moment where their breaths mixed together in the quiet of the car, right before reflexes and want took over.

Without another thought to the situation, Mei basked in the feeling of her lover's lips a moment longer before pulling the skin-tight black dress up to the girl's hips.

It took but a few rubs for Mei to feel the battle of desire Yuzu had been keeping at bay on the ride over here.

Yuzu was struggling to believe Mei was even going along with this never mind how quickly her fingers had dipped inside her. Now the car was many things, but it wasn't completely soundproof.

Hips rocking back and forth to the rhythm of Mei's thrusts, Yuzu found herself gripping to the collar of the denim jacket just to keep herself upright.

I'm having sex in a car... Holy shit that feels good... Mhhng...Mei's fucking me in our car!

Coming to this realisation, something in the blonde seemed to snap. Perhaps it was just the way Mei had curled her fingers at that point, or maybe it was that the person Yuzu craved the most in the world was fucking her in her second most loved possession, but a deep moan was pried from her throat as her hips sped up.

"Fuck Mei don't stop! Faster, ughhh that's it!" Words spilt from the blonde's mouth, Mei feeling inclined to cooperate and did as she was told.

Though all the words Yuzu moaned during sex were like love to Mei's ears, the sentence that had just left the blonde's mouth was one she always craved; 'Mei! I'm, I'm gonna cum!' One of the best sights Mei had ever seen followed those words, and this only made Mei work harder for it.

Fingers increasing with intensity, Mei used her other hand to grab at the round ass to try and steady the blonde slightly. They were tight on space, but that didn't seem to stop the blonde in moving her hips as if they were at home.

And just like that, Mei watched in glory as a final moan was released from the blonde's parted lips. Cheeks a warm pink and eyes screwed tightly shut, Yuzu's head threw back and body spasmed as the orgasm passed through her; This was the sight Mei has been craving.

Mei gave a few more soft thrusts to bring her girlfriend down before removing her fingers. Knowing there was nowhere to wipe them or clean them, Mei's initial thought, though she didn't like to believe that she desired such things, was to clean them herself. That was her initial thought, her so one thought seemed much better. She looked from her slick fingers to the panting blonde on top of her and something clicked. Just the thought sent shivers down her spine.

Just barely coming down from her high, Yuzu watched as Mei ran just the tips of her fingers over her bottom lip. Her cheeks turned pinker at the thought of what Mei was going to say.

"Suck them clean," It came out low and sexy, something Yuzu couldn't disobey, not even if she wanted to. And so, without hesitation, Yuzu took the two fingers in her mouth, her tongue wrapping and swirling around the two digits.

Yuzu had occasionally tasted herself kissing Mei after their activities, but had never thought much of it at the time. Now licking her own juices from Mei's slender fingers, Yuzu couldn't help the fluttering it gave her.

Now cleaned, Yuzu released the fingers being sure not to leave any of her saliva behind.

"Good girl," Mei said, a hint of a moan slipping past her lips at the sensation. Fingers now clean, Mei reached for the back of the blonde's neck to bring her down for a kiss. As she hoped, she could still taste the bittersweetness on the girl's lips.

"We are going to be late if we stay here any longer and I don't want to be the last arrive," Mei said as she ran her hands up the blonde's naked legs. They would be late and Mei did not want to see what the young pinkette had in mind for the last couple to arrive.

Yuzu nodded quickly, now not captivated in their steamy session, it became clear how awkward it was going to be for the blonde to get out. After a few minutes to shuffling and giggles, Yuzu managed to hop out the passenger side and straighten out her dress that had ridden up to her hips again.

It wasn't long before her girlfriend followed, the two grabbing their purses and making their way towards the teens flat.

Just before Mei knocked, Yuzu planted a soft but firm kiss to the girl's cheek. "Remember, I love you," Yuzu smiled as she reassured her girlfriend a final time. Getting a confident nod, Yuzu saw nothing but concrete trust in her girlfriend's amethyst eyes. Yuzu stood at her girlfriend's side, believing tonight could maybe just be a fun get together.

"And looks who's late, get a little busy in the car did we?" Matsuri's smug expression greeted the pair at the door. As Matsuri anticipated, the blonde's cheeks blew up in a pink fluster, Mei, however much she tried to keep her cool, could feel her ears burning under her hair. They did have tinted windows, didn't they?

A small nod of approval at the girl's attire and Matsuri walked back into the flat, leaving the two standing at the door for a moment before they were greeted by a much happier Harumi.

"Hey don't pay attention to her, she's been keeping an eye on when everyone gets here and made up something about you guys getting out the same side? Silly I know... Are you sure you brought the Prez with you Yuzucchie?" Harumi grinned as she looked at the once ruthless and ever obeying student council president. Though she couldn't deny, the lace did look good on the girl.

"Yup! And believe it or not, Mei picked it out!" Yuzu said almost proudly as she briefly squeezed her girlfriend's arm. Trying to hide the subtle shock, Harumi gave a last glance at the silent woman before gesturing into the house.

"Well, you look super cute Yuzucchie, come on in. Luckily you're not the last couple here, Jasmin and Nate seem to be running behind. I have no idea what that little menace has planned so I'm giving you a full warning." An unsure smile on her face as she greeted the two in, much like her girlfriend should have done several minutes ago, Harumi brought the two into the main room

Mei was the first to talk as she took in the room around her, "I see you learnt how to clean up after yourself?" It was rather condescending and directed at the young girl who was currently lounged over a cuddle seat in the corner of the large flat.

Matsuri had rather wealthy parents, and although she didn't associate with them very often they where more than happy to provide her accommodation. So the flat was spacious, and the furniture on the expensive side. That glam, however, was usually subdued in the mess of living that was produced from the girl, today, however, it was damn near spotless. Obviously Mei could see room for improvement, but she was surprised more than anything.

Mei's congratulations were silenced by a laugh of hysterics in the corner and a snort from beside her.

"As if, I arrived here this morning and had to blitz the place, she didn't do anything," Harumi grunted as she went to sit next to her girlfriend on the large seat.

Greeting the couple sitting on the couch, Yuzu smiled brightly as she partook in meaningless conversation with the pair.

Willow excused herself for a moment, leaving Yuzu preoccupied with trying to tech Ashton the correct pronunciation, coming to sit next to her cousin with a bright smile.

"You don't look the slightest bit worried," Sitting too close for Mei to call comfortable, Willow nodded over to the blonde who looked as though she was on the edge of her seat as the young man attempted the sentence she had.

"Also, since when did you dress like this? I mean you could definitely turn heads with this outfit," Willow nodded as she looked at the younger girl's outfit, Mei had always dressed rather mundanely, always seeking to be part of the background. It was a rather nice surprise for the blonde to see her stiff cousin had let loose a little. From the small hand gesture, Mei made towards her cheerful girlfriend, as no words were needed as an explanation, Willow couldn't help but laugh.

"You must really be hooked on her," Lowering her voice just slightly, the Scot said in a slightly smug tone.

"If by hooked you mean I love her, then you'd be correct. No desperate, horrid person if going to come between that." Mei's statement was a slight shock to the older girl, but the confidence and sureness in the deep violets had Willow nodding in agreement.

"Well, that's what tonight's all about. I mean all we can hope it's that she actually tries something so that Yuzu can shut her down!" Whispering with enthusiasm, Willow was sure that tonight would only strengthen her cousin's relationship. Mei was no liar, that was something Willow had learnt young, she had no doubt that what Mei said about this girl was true, now all they had to do was prove it to Yuzu.

"Alright everyone, stop ignoring the host! Drinks are all in the kitchen, I hope you all have a high tolerance for alcohol cuz I've got quite a few drinking games planned. As we are still a couple down, we can all get a drink to start the night off with." Matsuri announced loudly as she started playing music from the speakers that surrounded the room.

"And yes, before you ask Mei, you have to drink." The youngest girl said as she planted a chilled beer into the back haired girl's hand.

"Mei doesn't drink that beer," Turning back to her girlfriend, Yuzu spoke up as she pointed to the beer bottle in Mei's hand.

"Well, it's this or she can start hitting the hard stuff?" Matsuri commented as she handed each occupant a bottle of their own.

"This will be fine Yuzu," Mei said, opening the bottle with what looked like acceptance. Yuzu, however, stood to take the bottle from her partner's hand and placed it on the table.

"Mei you hate that beer, we're gonna be here all night, you at least have to have something you like. I'll quickly run to the store and get you something." Yuzu smiled as she offered, and placed a chaste kiss to her girlfriend's cheek before she turned around to address the other couples.

"I'll be ten minutes, I'll just go to the convenience store around the corner, that okay?" Though it was stated like a question, the blonde already had her jacket on and was preparing to leave.

"Hey I'll come with you, it's not safe walking about alone," Harumi said casually as she peeled herself from the cushions of the sofa.

And just like that, the duo left the building in happy chatter leaving the room in silence.

"Really Mei, why do you have to be so picky? Beer is beer!" The young girl said with an exaggerated sigh, flopping back onto the couch.

"Hey, Mei said she would drink it, it was Yuzu who wanted to get her something else. If anything it's sweet." Willow defend, what was wrong with wanting your partner to be happy?

"Anyway, what is all going on tonight?" Ashton, who had been mostly quiet until now, asked as he took a long swig of his beer. It was no surprise, Matsuri had done get research on drinking in Scotland, she had come to the conclusion that both Willow and Ashton would be strong drinkers being from Scotland. That and she had witnessed it when they had all got together the first few times.

The young man didn't seem entirely uncomfortable in the room, he was initially shy and slightly withdrawn but over the few weeks of being forced into getting to know Mei's friends, he was more and more comfortable around the group. He has stuck to the brief, coming in slacks and a white shirt, slightly unbuttoned at the top. Now dressed slightly more to her tastes, Mei couldn't deny he was a handsome guy.

"I've planned the night out with a series of games and couples tests that mostly revolve around drinking and secrets. Lots of then are inappropriate, so I hope you don't mind the chance of kissing one of the other girls here." Matsuri's wicked grin not only made Mei cringe at the thought of having to kiss someone else but the possibility that Yuzu would have to kiss Jasmin. Obviously Matsuri wasn't made aware of why Jasmin had been invited nor did she question it. Yuzu had been friends with her for quite some time, there was no reason for suspicion. Hence the girl's obliviousness to Mei's dissatisfaction.

"I'm not too bothered," With a quirky smirk to his girlfriend, Ashton stated as he glanced over at Mei then back to his girlfriend to see if he had gotten the reaction he was fishing for.

A small clap indicated the back of the young man's head being smacked, puffed up cheeks on the offended Scott.

"You won't lay a hand on her," Willow defended as she placed her hand on Mei's shoulder, the comment coming off more as though she cared about it being Mei than anything else.

This sent the couple into a small squabble, Willow clearly winning as Ashton sunk into the sofa and tried to reassure that he was only kidding. Mei, however, couldn't help the side of her lips turning into a smile when his hand was swatted away from her cousin's waist.

"I hope not everything will involve physical contact, I mean we are all here as couples, it doesn't seem quite fair for that does it?" Narrowing her eyes at the younger girl, Mei hoped she looked as intimidating as she sounded. She didn't want anyone touching her girlfriend, and she certainly didn't was to be kissing anyone other than her either.

"Hey you read the email, you can leave if you want," Matsuri said as she drew herself from her seat.

"Besides, it's not like we're gonna start with that, gotta ease into that. I planned to start with back to back, but people have yet to arrive." There was obvious annoyance in the girl's voice, it's was almost half seven.

* * *

"That's expensive?" Harumi queried as she eyed the pack of alcohol the blonde picked up.

"Yeah I know," Yuzu laughed before placing it on the counter. "But Mei doesn't like normal beer, 'Bubbly piss water' where her exact words when she had it. So I don't mind buying her this, at least she actually likes it." Giving her signature big grin to her friend Yuzu laughed putting the bottles into her bag and motioned for the pair to leave.

"Anyway, what happened with Matsuri, she seemed happy?" Yuzu asked, it had been the entire night and Harumi had yet to message to say how things had gone with her girlfriend.

"Well I don't what you said, told her how I felt about it, and that it wasn't something I was ready for. Turns out she knew I was gonna say no, she just wanted me to talk about my feelings." Harumi said, slight annoyance in her voice at her girlfriend's plans.

"Well maybe you should try being more open with her, I mean she is your girlfriend?" Harumi had always been a reserved person, kept out of other people's business and kept her life private. At least, some of that had to be exempted for Matsuri. Right?

"Hey let's not judge my relationship when Mei just about dumped you for having a sex dream, at least me and Matsuri are open about that!" Grinning, Harumi couldn't hold back her laughter as she elbowed her friend in the side, spinning the conversation away from her.

Yuzu was sure Harumi had laughed for several minutes straight when she had told her what happened, she was looking for advice to spice things up and got mockery in return.

Cheeks brighter than a flamingo, the blonde couldn't help scanning the area to see if anyone else had heard the statement. "Hey! Keep your voice down, I told you that in confidence! Besides she didn't say 'no'!" Trying to keep her voice a hushed whisper but keep the force behind it, Yuzu tried to defend her pride. Though nothing had progressed any further in that department yet, the constant reminder of her embarrassment being brought up constantly didn't stop the heat in her cheeks.

"Oh really? Didn't know the super strict student council president would be into that kind of thing? But then again she did like a little..." Wiggling her finger to the blonde to imitate the action. Harumi bust into a fit of giggles when Yuzu tried to throw a hand over her mouth.

"Hey, if you don't want me to bring these things up then don't tell me about them." Laughing as she staggered back into line with the blonde, Harumi gave a small apology before continuing on.

"Okay okay, sorry. I know you like to gossip... what do you think Mei would say if she knew I knew?" Pursing her lips as her finger came to her chin, Harumi let a small hum out as if she was considering letting the young Aihara know of their gossiping.

Glancing at her friends reaction, Harumi almost chocked on her own laughter at the sheer white colour the blonde had turned. Surely the Yuzu knew she valued her life more than this? Harumi was one hundred percent sure if Mei found out half the information she knew, she would lose her life.

"I'm kidding Yuzucchie, Mei would kill me if I told her, that, or, you'd never get some ever again." Joking, Harumi was relieved to see the colour coming back into the blonde's cheeks.

"Geez don't play with me like that, I'm pretty sure my heart stopped!" Yuzu slouched as she dragged her feet to catch up with her friend.

"Besides, it's not just me who wants 'some', Mei can be pretty needy like that too. There's no way she would say 'never' again, It'd probably be like a two-week thing." Nodding her head assured of her observation, Yuzu smiled and didn't miss a stride. Mei found her irresistible, there was no way she wouldn't totally miss me!

"Oh yeah that sounds like Mei." Agreeing sarcastically, the two girls continued the back of forth bickering as they made their way back to house.

Entering the house, both Harumi and Yuzu were surprised to see the last couple having arrived, all eyes turning to them as they entered the warm room.

And scene.

* * *

Sorry to cut it off guys, but I though half a chapter is better than no chapter for another few weeks.

Got a lot going on just now so as you know the updates are a little more spread out than they used to be, but I am definitely still writing when I can.

I've already gotten a good chunk of the next chapter written so shouldn't be too long.

Hope you like it, if you did let me know :)

Ps.

Is it just me or has there been a lack of sex in my last few chapters? Hope this one makes up for it ;).


	49. Poll

Hi, guys updates coming soon, in the prosses of writing the next chapter. I have just put up a poll on my profile but I'm thinking it can only be viewed on computers ...

So I'm debating making Harumi cheat on Matsuri in this chapter... Thoughts?


	50. Couples Game Night

**Hey, guys thanks for waiting, and for all the supportive comments since my last update. I hope you are all doing well and staying safe, I'm doing just fine but uni still demands assignments are handed in so no rest for the writers :)**

 **To answer a few questions I've had; I don't think ill do another citrus series, too much stress but I do plan on continuing this one. After I finish this section off I am thinking of doing a time skip or something, only a few months, but enough to get us closer to the big proposal.**

 **Because I'm a little short on time at the moment, I'm not fully proofreading my chapters so expect to see a few more typos or errors than normal and read through them :)**

 **Also, in this chapter, I am trying to focus more on the girls fighting out their rivalry so the guys don't get a lot of talk time. But let's be honest Nate is just a piece of meat... One Harumi is quite attracted to.**

 **Anyway, thanks for the patience and as always let me know your thoughts. :)**

* * *

"Hey!" Yuzu smiled to the taller girl who was currently sitting with a muscular arm wrapped around her waist. "Hi Yuzu, it's been ages!" Jumping from her seat, Jasmin wrapped the blonde in a right hug. The action coming across as genuine friendship; Yuzu hugged all her friends. At the initial contact, Yuzu seized up, eyes flicking towards her girlfriend who was currently perched on the edge of the couch, her eyes narrowing at the action. Being polite and returning the embrace for a few seconds, Yuzu smiled as she peeled herself from the girl, breaking the eye contact she had with her girlfriend. One of the rules was that she would have no physical contact with Jasmin, Yuzu had abided by that since she and Mei had come to the agreement. Though it probably didn't look like that to Mei.

"Hi Jasmin, been a while." Harumi offered a small smile to the girl. She had been introduced to her by Yuzu on several occasions, though this was the first time she had ever 'hung out' with her. She by no means disliked the girl, rather she had a good taste in clothes, easy-going but was smart all the same. That and she carried a nice looking piece of meat on her arm. Harumi hadn't seen him before, must be new, she thought to herself as she eyed the young man now sitting by himself.

"Sorry, we weren't here when you got here, had to run out and get some stuff for Mei." Holding up the case by her finger, Yuzu gave it a slight jingle before walking over and placing the case down beside Mei, who now felt slightly embarrassed with every set of eyes on her.

"Got you your favourite," Taking the cap off one of the bottles, Yuzu handed the girl the chilled drink while placing a quick kiss to her cheek.

"So what'd we miss?"Harumi asked as she perched herself on the arm of the couch, they had been gone for a solid twenty minutes, surely they had done more than just sit and chat.

"Well, Jasmin and Nate arrived just after you two left, so as per the email the last couple to arrive gets a special treat. That couple would be yous two." Matsuri said with a grin as she pointed to her girlfriend and the blushing blonde.

"Wh-what!? Me and Harumin aren't a couple!" Yuzu shrieked as she clung onto Mei's arm through the jean jacket.

Harumi didn't look nearly as stressed out bothered by the announcement as Yuzu did. Matsuri was possessive, what was hers was hers, no one else was allowed to touch that.

"Last I checked, couple meant two people?" her finger coming to rest on her chin as if she was thinking, Matsuri let a small laugh escape her lips.

"Hey this is supposed to be a chill, get to know each other night, we're not trying to break up couples," Willow said as she tried to reassure the blonde and settle the pinkette.

"Hey, I'm not picking anyone. It will be their own choice what happens," Picking up her now empty beer bottle, Matsuri placed it in the middle of the table and pointed to the two.

"Spin the bottle. Well if you want," Matsuri's smile had her girlfriend raising her brow sceptically.

"What's the catch?" The smile in the blue eyes showed that there was more to the sentence that originally spoken.

"Well, you can either pick someone who isn't your partner to kiss, or spin the bottle and chance it." Matsuri continued as she gestured to her girlfriend, Yuzu looked like she was going to pass out she looked so worried.

Harumi knew her little devil; this was a challenge, either pick who you prefer or have to kiss a random. Harumi for one wasn't going to fall for it. Walking forward, skinny jeans and a tank top, Harumi placed her hand on the bottle and after smirking at her girlfriend, spun it and took a step back. Matsuri seemed only slightly disappointed at her girlfriend's choice, though when the bottle started to slow the concentration on the young girls face stiffened.

"And... Nate, it is." Willow announced, Yuzu who was still wrapping her head around the whole thing, stuttered a response "Harumin you're not actually gonna..." Yuzu slowed down to a halt when her best friend leaned down over the young man. Breasts falling down in front, capturing his attention. With a final glance to her girlfriend, Harumi pressed her lips to the boys.

Fingers wrapped around the nape of his neck, Nate couldn't help but kiss back. How could he resist? Harumi was hot as hell, he had eyed her as soon as she walked in. Well... her and her two friends.

It was slow and lasted a little longer than necessary, Harumi pulled back and gave a quick smirk to the boy who had a look of shock and speechlessness on his face, that and a noticeable blush.

"Good enough for you?" Harumi asked as she plopped herself down next to her girlfriend on the cuddle seat. The annoyance was written all over the younger girls face. Yet she couldn't say anything; it was her game.

"Your turn Yuzucchie!" With a grin, Harumi pointed to the bottle on the table, she could see the discomfort on Mei's face. Yuzu didn't make the rules, but she was sure the blonde would get in trouble for it later, no matter what she chose.

 _Shit, what am I supposed to do? I can't pick someone cuz Mei will think I like them but if I spin it might land on Jasmin!_

Visible sweat was on the blonde's brow as she reached to spin the bottle on the table. She would rather take a chance and hope the gods where on her side than have Mei question her choice later.

Shaky fingers spun the bottle, spun would be an exaggeration. When you spin a bottle it's exciting to start and as it slows the nerves kick in. Yuzu's spin started so slowly it was slowing down before she had even drawn her hand back.

And like the announcer she had become, Willow tapped her nails against the bottle as it came to a halt.

"And... Jasmin, it is!" Keeping up the enthusiasm of her first statement, Willow made sure to keep a close eye on the girl's reaction.

 _Shit_

Shit was the only word that ran through the blonde's head. Maybe the gods truly did hate her. She didn't dare look at Mei, she could feel the aura around her change as the bottle stopped. She could see her fingers grip the head of her bottle that little bit tighter. But Mei didn't say anything, sat in silence as she watched Yuzu fiddle with her bottle.

"Well that's easy then, we're just friends," Jasmin said casually, giving a soft chuckle as if it really didn't mean anything.

Getting from her seat, the tall girl sat next to the sheet white blonde. The fingers were initially cold against her neck, the contact bringing Yuzu out of her trance.

Bright blue eyes watched her for a moment before they closed and the soft skin grazed her lips. Yuzu, as much as she believed she was a good kisser, was frozen solid. Though unlike her best friends show, Jasmin gave a soft peck to the blonde's lips and pulled back almost immediately. Relief flooded the blonde; Jasmin was just her friend. Her boyfriend was sitting right there for Christ sakes.

"Loosen up Yuzu, I feel bad for Mei if you're that stiff all the time" Jasmin laughed as she stood up and made her way back to her seat.

"H-hey, I'm just not used to kissing other people!" Yuzu defended, her usual cheerful demeanour returning as she felt a little bit lighter about the situation. If Jasmin was interested in her in that way she would have taken the kiss further. If anything this kiss seemed like a blessing.

Matsuri, having perked up a little since having to watch her girlfriend french kiss a muscular hot guy who was clearly checking out her girlfriend's tits, picked the bottle up and smiled.

"See? Nothing bad." Grinning, Matsuri took a sip of beer before clearing her throat.

"So I was asked to host this little get together, but as many of you know, I like a little bit of drama. So seeing as we're all couples here, I have put together several games questions for us to do. Really it'll only bring us all closer together, and there lots of drinking! We're starting the night off with a simple game of back to back. If you and your partner don't answer the same you drink; Simple." Matsuri smiled as she spoke, seeming unfazed to the other guests. Harumi, however, paid close attention to the hand on her thigh, it almost made her laugh.

Her girlfriend, who organised the entire night, was jealous.

"As our new guests have yet to participate, it seems only fitting that Willow and Ash go first." Gesturing the middle of the room, Harumi offered as she pointed to the couple sitting in the corner of the sofa.

"Hey, we've been dating for years, no way we're losing this," Willow said confidently as she dragged her partner off the chair who only looked mildly confused, obviously having picked up most of the conversation but not all of it.

Now standing front and centre, Willow said a few sentences in English to explain the situation, Mei, however, struggled to hold back her chuckle of amusement of Willow warning her boyfriend not to say anything horrible about her.

Mei was nearly fluent in her English, she knew Yuzu's wasn't terrible but she definitely wasn't good enough to have picked up the Scots words with how fast she was speaking.

Mei could say she was enjoying having the older girl around. Perhaps family wasn't the worst thing, perhaps people could change.

In the short span of time that the group was rearranging themselves to view the couple properly, Yuzu gently wrapped her hand around Mei's arm.

"Hey Mei?" Yuzu's shaky voice asked as she tried to catch the younger woman's attention. Mei could hear the apology in the girl's voice before she even turned her head. She didn't want to hear an apology, Yuzu wasn't really at fault here; it wasn't as if she had any control over who the bottle landed on.

Turning around, Mei had initially thought she was just going to reassure the blonde, but upon seeing her lips that had moments ago been on her rivals, placed a soft kiss to her lips.

 _There, all better_ Mei thought as she opened her eyes she saw the blonde's pink cheeks and wide eyes. Clearly not the reaction she was expecting.

"I'm not upset with you Yuzu. She was respectful and just pecked you, it's fine." Mei offered what she classed as a smile, but to the rest, it probably looked like the blonde was being scolded. That always seemed to be the case, Mei normally smiled with her eyes not her lips, Yuzu knew that. And that's all that mattered to Mei.

"Okay, let's keep it PG to start with. Don't think any of us are drunk enough yet to disclose any personal information." willow smiled and she pressed her back to her boyfriends, showing off his height.

Matsuri placed a large bowl in the middle of the table, nearly overflowing with folded pieces of paper.

"I have written several questions for us to ask so it's fair for everyone. We can all pick one each then swap couples. And you all know the rules I'm sure. Drink if it's you, if only one of you drinks we move on if both drink or neither drink you both have to drink again." Smiling, Matsuri gestured to the bowl for the first question to be drawn.

Jasmin was the first to plunge her hand into the bowl of folded paper, her eyebrow raising as she gave a brief smile to the youngest girl who sat with a smug smile as she leaned against her girlfriend.

"Who cums first?" Tossing the paper onto the table, all parties looked back to the couple. Willow stood still, a grin making its way onto her lips, it took a few moments but the girls in the room couldn't help but laugh when the young man tentatively put the bottle to his lips.

"C'mon Matsuri, is everything you've planned tonight like this?" Harumi asked, throwing a disapproving glance at her.

"Not everything," It was a mischievous grin, one that Harumi didn't completely trust.

"Okay guys lets speed this up a little, everyone take a question and ask away," Matsuri said cheerfully as she poked at the bowl.

"Who's the better driver?" Mei spoke up as she read from her slip of paper. Judging by Ashton's car she assumed he would be drinking one again, though she was slightly confused or maybe impressed when Willow took a long swig of her drink.

"I can guarantee that I'm a better driver than all you here!" Willow laughed, the smile of her face full of pride as Ashton laughed and nodded.

"No way? Is that your car we seen at Mei's?" Yuzu jumped with excitement, knocking Mei's arm as she hopped to the edge of her seat.

"Yup sure is, she's the love of my life and l know how to drive her. I do some racing on the side for fun back home." Willow grinned, the wild flush in her eyes only fuelling the blonde's enthusiasm.

 _She loves her car as much as I love Mei's and mine!_

"No way?! Do you think you could show me?" Yuzu's excitement was put down as Mei spoke up, eyeing her cousin before turning to her girlfriend.

"That won't be happening." Her voice was stern as she spoke. That sounded dangerous, not exactly a situation she wanted to be putting her girlfriend in.

"Wh-what?" Yuzu whined, the pout on her lips catching the attention of everyone in the room. They, however, didn't affect Mei's judgement on the topic.

"Just as I said, I don't want you to be driving like that, it's dangerous." Continuing her hard stare towards the blonde until she nodded her head in defeat, mumbling a small 'fine' as she took a swig of her beer in defeat. Mei didn't like to say no, or stop her girlfriend from doing something she wanted, especially if she pouted about it, but this was for safety reasons.

"Why you gotta be such a ball-buster? That sounds like a good time." The young man sitting across from Mei snorted, his eyes not challenging Mei but mildly disagreeing with her. Mei, though, didn't seem to be in the mood to be criticised by a man she'd known for an hour.

"I'm sorry if wanting to keep my girlfriend out of harm's way makes me a 'ball-buster'. I would rather take on an insult and know she was safe than be persuaded otherwise and put her in harm." Her voice turned bitter for the first time that night, Mei scowled at the boy. Just because he seemed more laid back than a preschooler and couldn't seem to give a crap about his 'girlfriend', going off the way he couldn't drag his eyes off Harumi, didn't mean Mei had to be the same.

"Okay Mei, you made your point, you love your girlfriend, but let's put the teeth away. Tonight about having fun not getting on each other's nerves." Matsuri spoke up, she was sure she would have rather watched the show for a moment more, but her girlfriend had told her otherwise. And she needed to be on her best behaviour If she wanted to get 'cheered up' Later.

"Next question..."

Yuzu and Mei stood back to back in the living room, now coming to the end of their round with having only lost one question.

"Who's the better kisser?" Was readout with a bit of a giggle by Harumi, she quirked her brow at her best friend, she had listened to the blonde boast about how good a kisser she was before, but would she admit it in front of Mei? Pride wanted to tell Yuzu that she was obviously amazing at it, but then again Mei's kisses did feel amazing. _Nope, definitely has to be Mei._

"That's quite cocky of you to say, Mei," Willow laughed as she watched her cousin take yet another drink of her emptying bottle.

"The game is to win, I don't particularly think I'm better than Yuzu at it, but I knew she wouldn't drink to the question..." Mei responded relatively quickly and mundanely to the question.

"See, me and Mei defiantly know each other!" Yuzu beamed as she smiled to the group of people, obviously proud of their accomplishment so far.

"Last question, 'who's most likely to protect the other from danger?'" With the last question hardly even finished being spoken, Yuzu brought the bottle to her lips to take a swig. She knew, without a doubt, no matter what the situation, if Mei was in danger she would do anything to save her.

"Wha- how can you get that right? Would you not save your precious Yuzu, Mei? How heartless," Matsuri said, her voice taking on a solemn tone as she spoke the last sentence for dramatics.

"No I believe I would, but I know Yuzu wouldn't hesitate." Mei's response quietened the girl down, but Yuzu perked up at the words as she turned around to peck her girlfriend on the cheek.

"That's right!" Her grinning face was enough for Mei to allow her girlfriend the glory of kissing her in front of the other parties; She deserved it after all.

"I'm pretty sure you guys cheated or something-" Matsuri grumbled,

"You're only saying that because you only got two questions right!" Yuzu's retort encouraged the group to laugh, even Harumi was openly laughing at the pout on her girlfriend's face. Bringing her face closer to the pinkettes ear, with her laughter now stopped, Harumi whispered words of joy to the younger girl.

'Cheer up, I'll reward you later."

"Okay, so let's mingle, next up Is a mitch match of games combined into one, but you guys need to be a whole lot drunker than this." Matsuri, now full of energy, said as she used her phone to turn up the speakers slightly

...

"Mei you need to relax a little, she's only talking to her and if you haven't noticed she keeps looking back and smiling at you," Willow said as she tried to cheer up her cousin, who was currently staring at her girlfriend who was talking to Jasmin. Given, everyone else was standing chatting to them too, but Jasmin was focused on Yuzu; Mei could sense it, and she didn't like it. Not at all.

"She's trying to reassure me that nothing is happening. I know she's not doing anything, but that doesn't mean _she_ isn't trying to pull something." Mei scoffed, she knew Yuzu wouldn't do anything after the day they had, Yuzu wouldn't do anything intentionally anyways. Mei was merely concerned for the conniving woman who was trying to rope her girlfriend into sex.

"Well from what I can see, she seems pretty normal, just a friend. I mean I'm not doubting you, but maybe we were wrong that she would try anything when other people are around." Willow thought as she pulled herself slightly closer to her cousin; they couldn't have anyone overhearing the conversation.

"Perhaps..." Mei replied, her voice rather low. Maybe they should just focus on having some fun and relaxing, but she didn't want to let her guard down and risk something happening.

"You guys okay?" Yuzu, who appeared beside the pair out of thin air, asked as she smiled towards her girlfriend.

"Yup everything is good, though I'm curious to see what else Matsuri has planned tonight if things can even more personal." Willow laughed as she gestured to the youngest girl in the room, who was making small talk with her girlfriend and Jasmin, the two young men currently in the process of sitting opposite each other at the kitchen table. From what Yuzu could see it looked like the two were about to have an arm wrestle.

It would be quite a show, she had seen Ashton's biceps before and they didn't disappoint, tonight was the first time she had met Nate but it was easy to see he was a muscular guy.

"Oh here we go, I swear his pride couldn't get any bigger," Willow said rolling her eyes as she watched her boyfriend roll up his sleeve and rest his elbow on the table, a cocky grin on his lips as he eyed his opponent.

It took mere seconds for the girls in the room to surround the table, it was a show to be had.

Ashton gave a winning smirk to his girlfriend before flexing his grip on Nate's hand; Nate glanced around the room, first nodding at Jasmin before catching the plum coloured haired girl's eye. Giving her a smile that matched the Scots. Yuzu watched as her best friend rose her eyes brow a little at the smirk, it almost looked challenging. Yuzu thought it looked rather similar to when Mei would raise her own eyebrow in a suggestive way, one that mimicked "I dare you", but not in a bad way. That was not a look her friend should have been giving the young man. Especially when her girlfriend was sitting right next to her.

"Out of the pair, I thought Matsuri would be the one flirting with other people," Willow whispered to the blonde as she motioned to Harumi who was currently perched on the back of the couch watching the two young men who were currently in the process of trying to outmatch the other.

"She's not flirting!" Yuzu defended, she wanted to believe that she wasn't seeing the same thing Willow was, but that definitely wasn't an innocent smile.

"Yeah, tell that to Nate, cuz he seems to be winning for a reward," Willow whispered under her breath, Yuzu glanced back to the two men, Ash was on the verge of losing, knuckles just a hair away from brushing the tables. That was until the older blonde cheered a few magic words.

"Cmon baby, if you win I'll let you have what you wanted last night!" Willow shouted over the music, her strong voice clearly reaching the young man as there was an instant pick up of his arm. Within the next twenty seconds the match was over, Ash after jumping in triumph, made his way over to his girlfriend and pulling her aside for whispering to be had. Nate, sat at the table sipping his beer with a smile.

"I dunno what she just promised him, but it must have been worth gold." Laughed the young guy, Jasmin coming around to loop her arms around his shoulders. "If you need a pick me up you can always ask," The words were 'whispered' into the young man's ear, but loud enough that Yuzu, Mei and Harumi heard clearly.

Yuzu turned pink as she tried to turn away, Mei rolled her eyes, Harumi, however, turned to Matsuri as she fiddled about with the speaker.

"So how come I've never met you before Nate?" Yuzu asked as she perched herself on the edge of the table. She had been friends with Jasmin for a number of months, but she had never heard her mention Nate, there were stories and tales and nights she'd with people, but never had Yuzu heard of this guy before Matsuri's invite.

"It's pretty new, we've been dating for a couple of months, but we've been seeing so little of each other I've not had time to gossip about it." Jasmin laughed.

"You gossip about me?" Nate asked, slightly shocked at the reveal. Jasmin gave a grin, "We gossip about all our partners and the sex that comes along with it." She gave a grin to the man sitting next to her who seemed to puff up his chest at the words; He had nothing to worry about.

Yuzu gave a nervous laugh as she felt lasers on her back, turning around Yuzu made a 'calm down' gesture with her hands. She tried to offer her a reassuring smile but Mei didn't take well, instead, she turned to her cousin, engaging in whatever conversation was happening there. Sighing Yuzu turned back to the couple with a forced smile, _something had to go wrong, didn't it?_ Yuzu said to herself.

The get together lasted nearly another hour before Yuzu managed to pull Mei aside to explain herself. Everyone seemed to be that little bit more comfortable around each other with a little more alcohol. Yuzu nervously tugged on the side of Mei's jacket as she tried to pull her slightly away from the others, Mei, although not removing the contact, wore an unimpressed look, Yuzu couldn't see herself getting out of this one easily.

"Are you ready to stop ignoring me now?" Yuzu asked with a smile, clearly trying to lighten the mood but she only got a frown in response.

"Okay, I'm sorry, what Jasmin said wasn't completely true. I'm not going to lie, I have spoken a little about us before, but not just to Jasmin. It's just girl talk when we hang out. I mean I've never gone into any detail with her before because I know how you would feel about that, but I'm not going to lie and say I've never said absolutely anything. The other girls go into more detail than I ever have with them..." Yuzu rambled as she tried to get Mei to stop scowling at her. Yeah whilst having a girly chat she may have let some things slip, like agreeing to a statement but she hadn't, apart from Harumi, told anyone specific detail about her sex life with Mei.

"Please don't be mad Mei. As she said, I've hardly been spending any time with her over the past few months and even before then we didn't talk much about you and me. I don't want you to get upset over something like this. We should be here having a good time... I promise not to talk about anything to do with us in regards to that again to her, but please don't be angry with me." Yuzu practically whined the last sentence to Mei, a small smile working its way on to her lips as she pulled Mei towards her by her jacket; bringing her flush against her.

Her words, or her smile, must have worked as Yuzu saw a small crack in her girlfriend's demeanour. Still gripping tight, Yuzu pushed herself on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against Mei's. It was a gentle kiss, more of a long peck than anything else. When Yuzu pulled back she saw a small smile on her girlfriend's lips.

"I knew you weren't really mad at me." Yuzu grinned as she ran her hands down the length of the jacket, finally releasing Mei when her hands came to the bottom.

"Maybe I just wanted you to admit what you had been saying without me having to pry it out of you?" Mei said as she didn't step away from her girlfriend, instead, giving her a small smile. Mei although not impressed by what she had found out, knew Yuzu liked girl talk and if that was one of the drawbacks of being with the blonde then so be it. As Yuzu said, it wasn't as if she was going into any great detail and it wasn't as though Yuzu was disappointed in that department, so really Mei had nothing to worry about. Well, that's what she hoped, and that's what she told herself for her to let this slide.

"I'm sorry okay," Yuzu offered her apology again before giving a big smile, the last thing she wanted was Mei really being mad at her. Things had been too dramatic for her liking the past few months, she just wanted things to go back to normal. Were they would spend the night together as a happy couple just having silly squabbles that didn't really matter.

She got a small nod from Mei before the younger girl moved back slightly out of her grasp. Glancing over to the coffee table, the pair saw Matsuri setting up rows of shot glasses on every side of the table. Each length had five glasses each filled with a clear liquid. Yuzu knew what this was 'Where's the water', she had played it once or twice at parties. Though knowing Matsuri, Yuzu had expected them all to be some type of spirit.

Gently taking Mei's hand, Yuzu leas her girlfriend over to the couch where the other couples were currently gathered. All watching in curiosity as the young girl finally set up the game she had boasted about.

"Alright everyone, sit next to your partner everyone gets on side of the table.' Matsuri smirked as she pulled herself to her feet and put her bottle to her lips, lavishly sprawling herself down next to Harumi who was sitting on the armchair. Though she was quickly pushed off.

Everyone was situated around the small table with Jasmin and Nate taking the large couch, Harumi and Matsuri on the armchair, the other pairs sitting on the carpet either side of the table.

Mei wasn't looking forwards to this, there was a large stack of cards on the table, five shots lined in front of her and it wad all created by her young friend.

Yuzu, however, was filled with excitement, she was visibly squirming as she looked around the table joining in the idle chatter and laughter. The pair sat side-by-side on the floor, waiting for Matsuri to explain what this was. Mei didn't think this was going to be a simple game of wheres the water. Matsuri was too creative, perhaps meddling would be a better word, for it to be a simple game.

"Alright, so taking it in turns we each pick a card, on the card, there will be a task or a question for you. It's a mixture of lots of different things so no point in explaining them all now, but if you don't want to answer your partner has to take a shot." Matsuri said as she grinned at the stack of cards.

Everyone had drunk enough by this point that idle chatter was coming naturally, enough liquid courage was swirling in the room that the first few questions answered by Willow and Harumi swiftly. Yuzu giggled as she picked her fate, shielding the card with her hand as if she wouldn't have to tell the others what she got.

"Truth or dare?" Yuzu said as she looked back to Masturi, confusing lacing her face as that's all the card read. "Simple really, same as normal truth or dare, someone just has to ask you." Matsuri shrugged.

"Well, I pick truth!" Yuzu said happily as she waited for her response, and she didn't have to wait long before Willow was grinning wildly as she gently nudged the girl's shoulder. "You a top or a bottom?" The quested prompted the room with laughter and Yuzu's cheeks flared red as she froze for a moment. This should have been expected.

Yuzu opened her mouth several times to reply but each time all that came out was air, the longer she had to consider the question the darker her cheeks became. She was pretty good at being a top, but then again she loved it when Mei dominated her... _Am I a ... bottom?_

"Bottom..." Yuzu said quietly, just barely audible over the music coming from the speakers in the room. "Oh really? So, Mei, you must be quite controlling in the bedroom too?" Nate said quickly through a laugh. It was clearly meant as a joke, and likely anyone else in the room would have fired something similar back, but that wasn't within Mei's nature.

"Breath Mei," Yuzu whispered into her girlfriend's ear as she leaned a little closer before she could retaliate, grasping her hand and giving a light squeeze. Taking her girlfriends hint that she wanted to enjoy the evening, Mei shrugged her shoulders, "You'll never know. I'm possessive with what's mine, and I like to remind her of that." Mei snapped back after a moments time, her words only inducing her girlfriend's red cheeks.

"Annnd lets move on before Yuzucchie dies of embarrassment," Harumi announced through her own muffled laughter as Yuzu tried to hide behind the table and her beer.

"Haha okay, here I go," Jasmin said as she reached for a card on the table, laughing as she read it. "Never have I ever..." There was a slight pause as she thought for a moment, "Taken drugs," Looking around the group as she as watched to see if anyone drank. To her surprise, both the scots drank from their bottles along with the young pinkette, who just shrugged off the 'What?!" she got from Harumi with 'It was just a little weed,' and turning back to the group.

"A little weed never hurt anyone," Willow smiled with a wink as she leaned across the table to clank her bottle off Matsuri's. Willow had tried it several times... c'mon, they lived in Scotland, it's only cultural.

Yuzu didn't touch or even go near her bottle at the statement, she felt Mei's eyes on her when the question was said. She had partaken in _things_ while at parties that Mei wasn't aware of, but she wasn't stupid enough to know she would be grilled like a salmon if Mei found out she had taken drugs.

"Okay my turn," Harumi said as she gave another glance to her girlfriend. "Remove a piece of clothing?" Harumi clicked her tongue as she glowered back to her girlfriend again. She was wearing little enough as it stood. After a moments consideration, she took off her jacket, revealing her smooth shoulders. Now in only a crop top and skinny jeans, she roughly tossed her jacket at Matsuri, who just managed to grasp the clothing before it smacked her in the face.

"Hey, don't blame me, you should have worn more!" The young girl defended, with a laugh. Though Yuzu felt a shiver run down her back at the thought of pulling such a card, she couldn't afford to lose a piece of clothing. She would have nothing left bar her underwear.

"C'mon Ash it's your turn, and no pussying out!" Willow grinned as she knocked herself into the young man's side. Mei's eyes widened slightly at her language, she had never heard the girl talk like that before. But in all fairness, the girl was probably holding her tongue around Mei to be polite.

Yuzu, still sitting on the floor next to her girlfriend, could feel herself becoming slightly more than tipsy. She could feel the buzz in her head that made her want to take another sip and not stop smiling and chatting. Taking another swig of her beer, she discretely pulled herself closer to Mei and wrapped her arm around her waist. Yuzu tried to keep her eyes focused on Ashton as he drew his card from the stack, but she felt Mei initially flinch at the contact before turning her head to Yuzu. Watching her intently for several seconds before following the blondes stare. Yuzu was shocked that brushing off her attempts as nothing worked, she was on the verge of certain that Mei would have asked her to remove her hand.

Yuzu tightened her grip on Mei's side as the younger girl made no attempts to remove the hand from her waist.

Through stuttered Japanese and a little assistance from his girlfriend, Ashton read out his card. "What's the weirdest place you've ever hooked up?" Though everyone waited for his response, it was Willows look of expectancy that had the others waiting on the edge of their seat. With a nervous look to the blonde sitting behind him, Ashton finally spoke up, his voice audibly wavering.

"On an aeroplane."

Yuzu choked on her drink as she tried hard not to splatter it over the floor. Both Matsuri and Harumi looked mildly amused, Nate had an approving look on his face, but Willow did not look happy.

"And you was this with?" She asked, narrowing her eyes in a way that made Yuzu see the resemblance between her and Mei. Scratching the back of his neck, the young man shuffled a few centimetres to the side. "Lizzy, it was before we got together."

"Ooo you're fucked," Nate tipped his head back as he laughed at the couple, now arguing in English about this 'Lizzy'. He received a small smack on the arm at the words along with a disapproving look from his girlfriend who was also smiling at the scene... Everyone was... Even Mei.

Once the laughter and idle chitchat had died down slightly, Mei raised herself onto her knees and elegantly pulled the card from the top of the stack. She frowned when she looked over to Matsuri who was smiling gleefully as she watched Mei read her card.

"Drink 3 shots or give your partner a lap dance," Mei raised her brow, almost considering her options. She had never given a lap dance before, heck she hardly ever danced and it certainly wasn't in the way in which a lap dance unwound. Though her decision was made for her as Yuzu wordlessly split the shots into two groups, pushing three of them towards her girlfriend. Her cheeks were burning as she made the decision for her partner, but there was just no way Yuzu was going to let Mei do that here. It would probably be more embarrassing for Mei than Yuzu.

"Hey that's not fair, Mei has to choose" Matsuri whined, Mei however after giving Yuzu a quick look, knocked back the three shots, only stopping to take a break after the second one, though took the third like a pro too. "Ooo go, Mei!" Willow wooded, she was shocked to see how easily Mei drank the alcohol. It was vodka, Mei liked vodka. The cheer was echoed by the blonde as Mei placed the glass back on the table, she felt the blonde's hand grip onto her shoulder and gave it a light squeeze before she placed a quick peck to her cheek. Though this time Mei did push the blonde away from her slightly.

Looking up from the table Mei was pleasantly surprised to see Jasmin's gaze on her, she glowered as she watched Yuzu smiling happily at Mei's side and turning to Willow to retaliate to something she had said. Though Mei nor Jasmin seemed interested in what the scot had said to the blonde, the eye contact was strong, challenging. _So she's finally going to show what she really wants._ Mei thought as she finally broke the eye contact to watch Nate pull his card.

His face seemed to light up slightly as he read his card, "Seven minutes in heaven," He said as he placed the card back onto the table, looking around the group Nate could say he would be happy with any of the girl there. But there was the looming possibility that it would land on Ash... if that happened Jasmin would be taking a shot.

"Spin the bottle," Matsuri said, writing out these cards felt much more amusing than this was. She had already let her girlfriend kiss this man once, what was the probability it would happen again? Clearing a small space on the table, the young man spun the bottle before watching it intently.

"If it lands on you we are leaving," Mei said under her breath as she leant closer to Yuzu. Who merely nodded, that wasn't a question it was a statement.

"Really, what the hell, is that bottle rigged or something?!" Harumi said as she eyed the bottleneck that was pointing towards her. Harumi looked down to her girlfriend as she heard her click her tongue, her eyes burning holes in the bottle as she refused to look at her girlfriend.

"Ooo," Willow sounded as she watched the pair looking at each other. Surely she wasn't the only one who could see the chemical attraction between the two. It was a long thirty seconds before Mei spoke up, "Are you going to complete the challenge?" It broke the silent atmosphere as Nate jumped to his feet, "I've no objections?" Wiping down his slacks, his gaze was fixed on the brunette who was still perched on the side of the armchair, contemplating whether she should or not. Though it wasn't like she had a choice, Matsuri sure wasn't stopping her.

Placing her bottle on the table, Harumi started walking down the hall to the cupboard, her steps were quickly followed as Nate dashed after her. Now Matsuri was looking at her girlfriend, her eyes narrowed as she watched the pair turn the corner.

"You're really just going to let him go and make out with Harumi? That's a lot of temptation right there, I wouldn't let Ash within a metre of her she's so fine!" It was Willow that spoke up, it came across as simple girl banter, but it was a directed question. Jasmin shrugged as she took a sip of her drink, "I trust him, besides we're not strictly exclusive." The girl's response had all the others, bar Matsuri who still had a bitter look on her face, shocked, Yuzu choked on her drink once again.

"What?!" Yuzu said, her eyes still wide with shock. She had known Jasmin for a while now and never had the girl mentioned that any of her relationships were non-exclusive.

"Haha what can I say we both like each other but are still attracted to other people? It's not too uncommon, I mean haven't you ever seen someone that you would just die to bang but couldn't because of Mei? I don't have that problem." Willow said with a smile as she addressed the blonde's bewilderment. It didn't seem like that big of a deal to the others, but Yuzu seemed to have a harder time taking in the information. Sure the blonde found other people attractive but she had never felt the urge to sleep with someone else, she was with Mei and didn't plan on changing that.

Mei, however, scowled as the girl spoke, narrowing her eyes. _If you are implying that Yuzu wants to sleep with you, you couldn't be more wrong._ Mei thought to herself as she grit her teeth.

"And hey it's not just me, you didn't seem to have any objections." Jasmin gave a suggestive smile to Matsuri who was gripping her beer tightly. "The only one who can refuse the card is the person who picks it, so I didn't really have a choice. But going off the way he has been ongoing her all night I can only imagine he was hoping it would land on her." Matsuri spat back in a rather low voice, her annoyance at the current situation showing brightly.

Jasmin only laughed it off, and surprisingly it was Mei who spoke up. "You wrote all these cards, if you weren't prepared for both you and Harumi to partake in the events on them then you should have been more reserved when you wrote them,"

"Hey let's not get too serious here, for all we know they might not be doing anything at all." Willow tried to calm the growlingly intense conversation, but her encouragement was quickly put down as it was her boyfriend that couldn't help but laugh at her statement. "Sure," Was all he managed to say before quietening down his laughter.

"While they're off having some fun, how about we continue?" Willow continued as she picked up her own card. "How many people in this room have you kissed?" Willow looked confused at the card, surely there was more meaning behind this, or Matsuri had hoped someone else would be pulling this card.

"Just the one, what about you guys?" Looking around the room, Jasmin and Mei held up two, Matsuri held up three fingers without hesitation, Yuzu slowly put up four as she felt everyone's eyes on her.

"Ooo Yuzu, you've been busy?" Jasmin spoke as she raised her perfectly shaped brow. Yuzu was ready to laugh the comment off when she turned to Mei who had the same expectant look on her face.

"...Jasmin, Matsuri, Harumin and Mei... obviously..." At the questioning looks, she continued to get from the other Yuzu continued. "Hey, it's not like I've been making out with everyone. I've just pecked Matsuri and Jasmin before and obviously I've kissed Mei..." Yuzu said, surely that wasn't a demon she could feel beside her, oh no, that was just the cold aura emanating from her girlfriend. "Harumi?" Mei asked in a low voice.

Nervously Yuzu nodded, "I've kissed her before as well, back in high school..." Was all Yuzu said, she knew she would get a lecture about this later, but she didn't want it in front of everyone else.

"... We'll talk about this later," Mei said in a low tone as she turned away from the blonde slightly. The music was becoming more like background noise by this point as the girl's laughter drowned out most of it. Yuzu was next to draw a card, clearly getting more nervous with the way things were going so far.

"Would you rather, never eat p-pussy again or never get yours eaten again?" Yuzu's face was burning hot as she read the card, her stumbling over the words a clear indication of her embarrassment if her scarlet cheeks weren't enough. Yuzu although mortified by the question still had to answer. On one hand, oral was life, on the other, if she chose to never give any again did that mean that Mei would go without if she wasn't able to give her it? It was quite a dilemma.

"I think... never eat it again, I guess..." Before the blonde could live through the embarrassment of her answer, both Harumi and Nate walked back into the room. Nate hosting a silly grin while Harumi had a slightly more serious expression.

"Damn, wanna trade?" Nate laughed in a joking manner as he knocked Matsuri on the shoulder as he gestured to Jasmin who merely rolled her eyes at the statement, Matsuri, however, didn't take the comment so well. Her eyes initially narrowing on Nate ready to snap back before her annoyance was directed towards her girlfriend, who had perched herself on the edge of the large sofa.

* * *

Seven minutes earlier...

The door closed as the two stepped into the dark closet, there was an awkward silence as the two stood with their chests just centimetres from touching. Harumi couldn't deny she found the young man astoundingly fit. He had muscle, stubble and as it turns out, was a good kisser. But she also had her girlfriend. Nate was in a similar boat, just without a guilty conscious. Harumi had only grown more beautiful over the past few years. Keep her hairstyle the same, her body just matured, she had a figure that was plastered all over the 'after' section of girls magazines.

The first thirty seconds of their seven minutes together were spent in motionless silence. But that was only the first thirty seconds, a low "Well?" came from the auburn-haired girl prompting Nate to draw his lips down to meet his companies'. The kiss started off slow and hesitant, Harumi trying to keep her hands in check as she let herself be pushed back into the bookcase behind her. Nate, however, grew in confidence, his hands wandering that little bit more as the minutes ticked over and the kiss became more heated. The pair becoming lost in the embrace, Harumi found herself leaning more into the kiss, her hands gripping at the already tight fitted shirt.

Harumi found herself loving the way the slightly rougher lips felt against her neck but hating the feeling it gave her in her chest. It took a moment for her to figure out what it was... Guilt. She was feeling guilty for feeling good. The seven minutes were just about up when Harumi pushed back on the firm shoulders that towered over her. Replenishing the original distance between the pair. "I think that's quite enough wandering," She breathed in a low tone as she tried to catch her breath.

"You sure? I'm not busy after this if you wanted we could take this somewhere else?" Nate said, his charming grin just visible in the shadowed room. His voice was smooth a deep, his demeanour masculine and aloof. Harumi felt like she had to stop herself from accepting the offer. She was definitely lusting after the man in front of her right now, there was no denying that. But she had her girlfriend and this was 7 minutes in heaven, those minutes were up and that meant whatever had just happened was just part of her girlfriends game. Nothing she would be engaging in again.

"I'm just fine where I am thank you," She said back, wiping the side of her neck to remove any trace of their events.

* * *

The game continued on for a short while after that with the happy atmosphere soon returning. "Right guys I think we've all learnt enough about each other now, how about we put it away and just chill?" Harumi asked as she could see her turn coming up fast and wasn't quite feeling it anymore, it would be just her luck that she get something that would put her in yet another compromising position.

"Well that works, looks like we won though?" Jasmin grinned as she gestured to the untouched shot glasses in front of her and Nate. Mei and Yuzu had managed to drink four of theirs, and both the other couples having only drank one of their shots.

Yuzu stood from the floor to stretch her legs, the feeling letting a sigh escape her lips before she stumbled slightly knocking into Mei who was currently in the process of getting up as well.

"Oops sorry Mei, guess my heads had a little too much," With a nervous grin Yuzu hoped Mei wouldn't think anything of it. Luckily enough, Mei gave a small smile as she rested her hand on the blonde's shoulder, "It's fine, how many beers have you had?" Mei added as she pair moved away slightly from the table and loud chatter that was starting to break out now that no one was focusing on the game.

"Ehh five I think plus one shot..." Yuzu said with a nervous smile, Mei however just nodded. It was apparent that no one was paying attention to how much they were drinking, there were just growing piles of bottles around the flat.

"Hey Yuzucchi, can I borrow you for a minute?" Harumi said as she appeared beside the pair, her voice expressing the urgency that her face was trying to hide. Yuzu completely forgetting about her girlfriend for the moment as she quickly stumbled around to see Harumi. "What's up, you okay?" Yuzu asked through slightly slurred speech, though she was dragged away down the hall, Mei just catching 'not here' from the younger Taniguchi sister before the two were gone from sight.

"She's avoiding me you know?" Mei's head turned at the sound of her young friend's voice. Mei merely raised her new eyebrow at the younger girl as if prompting her to explain herself. Even if Mei pretty much knew why, it only seemed right to make the younger girl confirm her thoughts.

"You know why. She's barely spoken a word to me since she came back from being with 'him'," The younger girl scoffed as she motioned to the young man who was currently dancing with the other three in the living room, having turned the music up slightly. "And you believe...?" Mei prompted again. There were several possibilities as to why Harumi would be avoiding the young girl: She had taken it too far while in the closet, she had been pressured into something or, the most likely option according to Mei, that she merely wanted a bit of peace and quiet from the irritating youngster.

"... I don't know why... I think she's mad that I didn't say anything to stop her before." Propping herself against the wall, Matsuri took a long swig of her drink before motioning to Mei. "But you seem to be having a better night," The words were somewhat bittersweet. Given Yuzu hadn't made out with someone for seven minutes, but she had kissed Jasmin and Jasmin was still yet to show her true colours. "It could be better." Mei simply stated. "Perhaps you should try apologising to her, then she may not ignore you?" Mei offered in an attempt to be helpful, though the comment was brushed to the side with a grumble, leaving the two in silence.

"What do you mean you liked it?" Yuzu scratched her head as she watched her friend pace back and forth through the room. "I mean it felt great! Not great in a one time only thing, I want to do it again!" Harumi rattled out in a jumbled sentence, taking the blonde by the shoulders and giving her a small shake at her words before letting her head drop to the blonde shoulder. A sigh escaping her lips.

"I don't know what to do or why I'm feeling like this, but she keeps trying to talk to me about it." Harumi said as pulled herself from the blonde, letting herself flop onto the bed. It was safe to say Yuzu was shocked well and truly. Harumi was one of the loyalist people she knew, she never saw herself in a position where the girl was confessing she was using after another. Especially someone she had only met that evening.

"Wait, so you are going to... cheat on Matsuri?" Yuzu hesitated before she spoke the words, them not feeling right as they rolled off her tongue. "What? No! I wouldn't be in here with you telling you how confused and frustrating this is for me if I was going to go and sleep with him." Harumi said with a roll of her eyes as she jumped from the bed again, falling back into her pacing.

"But he was just sooo hot and good. I've never felt like that. I mean have you ever had someone like that completely ravish you? Nevermind you're with Mei..." It being clear that Harumi was having quite the image before reality came back and pulled her into check.

"What are you saying?" Yuzu asked, not understanding what her stance was in all of this. Harumi was her best friend, but Matsuri was her friend too, she couldn't exactly pick sides.

"I don't know... I feel terrible for thinking about it but I can't help it. I know I shouldn't care about anything else because I have Matsuri, but what if we're not meant to be together. I mean do you get feelings like this even though you are with Mei?" Harumi asked as she turned her head to Yuzu, hopeful she wasn't alone and a complete monster of a girlfriend.

"Not really... I'm sure it was just the rush of everything that happened tonight because you were making out with him. But that was just part of Matsuri's game," Yuzu tried to be convincing, but even she knew she didn't sound convincing at all.

"... I thought you loved her?" Yuzu asked tentatively. Matsuri was obviously in love with Harumi, that much was clear; She had been infatuated with the girl for years. Harumi somewhere along the line seemed to give in, and slowly warm up to the girl. Again, Yuzu was more than sure Harumi cared deeply for the girl and Harumi herself had said she loved their younger friend, but if Yuzu weighed up both sides of the relationship she could take a guess at who was more committed.

"I do love her!... I just don't know if I can see us spending the rest of our lives together." Harumi said in a low voice, her eyes dropping to the floor as she cursed under her breath at her situation.

"B-but..." Was all Yuzu could muster at her friend's words, she didn't know what she was supposed to say. Though it seemed someone was watching over her as there was a knock at the door before Jasmin slowly walked in, a small smile on her lips.

"Matsuri is looking for you, think she wants to apologise or something?" Jasmin said as she gestured out the door, as if to say the girl was looking for her.

"See? She just won't leave me alone at all... I'll keep you posted," Harumi said as she trudged her way out of the door, only picking her demeanour up once she was actually leaving the room to keep appearances up.

"Sorry about Nate, I think he's caused more trouble today than he's worth," Jasmin laughed as she made her way over to the blonde, who laughed at her statement. "Hey don't worry about it, I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it." Yuzu laughed as she suddenly noticed that she was alone in a bedroom with the girl who supposedly wanted to sleep with her.

"You know how I said me and Nate aren't exclusive?" Jasmin continued as she took a step closer to Yuzu. Yuzu nodded her head nervously as she swallowed the saliva that built up in her mouth. She wasn't mentally prepared to make sense of the situation, her mind was still racing from the bombshell Harumi had just let loose.

"Well I think he might just be going after Harumin, I've told him to back off but I can't say for sure if he will or not. If she throws herself at him he won't say no," It took a second, then two for Yuzu to blink and smile at her friend's words. "Thanks for the heads up," _She's just my friend,_ Yuzu thought to herself, thinking anything was going to happen was ridiculous, this was Mei and Willow's warning getting inside her head. She had never doubted her friend before, she had no reason to start now.

"Also, you look really good tonight, and the not being exclusive... That works for both of us." These words, however, did not come from a friend's point of view. Yuzu felt two hands on her hips as Jasmin closed the last of the distance between them. Having Yuzu backed up against the wall, Jasmin spoke again. "I know you are with Mei, but I won't say a thing. I've wanted you for a long time Yuzu..." The words were said as the deep blue eyes looked down on the blonde. Yuzu couldn't stop her breath hitching in her throat as she felt Jasmin's lips ghost her own while she spoke. Something about the sharp yet soft features of the girl's face and enchantingly cerulean eyes had Yuzu stuck in place.

Forget pushing the girl off, Yuzu's drunken mind was still trying to process the words that were being spoken. Yuzu had too much going on inside her head at the moment, she couldn't focus, but this wasn't right.

"J-Jasmin, I'm happy with Mei..." Yuzu said through a wavering breath, though the hands on her hips didn't release their grip, rather they tightened possessively. "I didn't say you weren't already happy, but I can make you feel... ecstatic." The words were a whispered breath across the blonde's sensitive lips before her head dipped down to press against them. It was slow, gentler than Yuzu had expected and much more than the peck the two had shared before.

It was safe to say Yuzu was drunk, and she wasn't the best drunk but she knew these lips, however soft and luxurious they felt, weren't Mei's.

Knocking the hands off her side gently, Yuzu pushed back on the girl's shoulders to break the kiss. "Jasmin, I appreciate it, b-but I don't want to cheat on Mei. I love her and I don't need you to get... satisfaction. We're just friends," Yuzu said firmly as she tried to offer a smile to the girl who looked slightly shocked, her confidence returning after a second of internal debate.

"You can't knock what you've not tried. Was it not you who said you would never not try something once? Well, all I'm asking for is once," Jasmin smiled briefly before dipping her head down again, capturing the blonde's slightly parted lips with her own. Jasmin was mildly surprised when she felt the blonde beneath her kissing back, given it was only for a split second but it was enough to encourage the girl.

Her lips being released soon after the kiss started Yuzu felt those very lips trailing down her neck, sending butterflies to her core. The blonde's head tipped backwards slightly when Jasmin sucked just below her jaw, the action making a small pant leave her lips.

"N-no Jasmin, I really don't want this." Yuzu said, her breath raspy as her weak hands tried to grip onto the taller's arms to push her away. Yet at her words, Yuzu felt a hand trail along her shoulder before pulling down the strap of her dress, revealing her right breast. It was at that point that Yuzu's mind seemed to catch up with the situation.

"Jasmin I said I don't want to!" Yuzu's raised voice was accompanied by a firm push that put centimetres between the pair, giving Yuzu enough space to pull her dress back and steady herself against the wall. Yuzu watched as she saw a bewildered expression take over the girls face, then annoyance then the smallest part of what Yuzu thought to be hurt.

"It's not that I don't think you're attractive because I think you are, really. But I'm with Mei and we don't do this sort of thing, and I don't want to do this. We're friends that all..." Yuzu said as she got her breath back and stood up straight. Though part of Yuzu thought it was a little ridiculous trying to comfort the girl who had just tried to seduce her knowing full well she was with Mei.

"I'm gonna go," Yuzu said nervously as she checked her dress one last time before making her way out the room. Tonight was just too much for the blonde to cope with.

"Did you really think she would disrespect Mei like that and give in to you?"

Jasmin's head spun around at the sound of a taunting voice, seeing Willow now leaning against the door frame with a small smile on her lips. "Is it really that far fetched? She is a people pleaser," Jasmin said as she too fixed her clothing and made her way towards the slightly older girl.

"Well considering she has never made a pass at anyone in the entire time she has been in a relationship I would say it's quite an unrealistic goal. All you've achieved is losing her as a friend as well." Willow smiled at the girl. She didn't like that Yuzu had been put in this position or the stress that Mei has evidently been going through because of it, but the fact that Jasmin had finally shown what she wanted from the blonde. Thus bringing an end to Mei's stress and hopefully allowing the couple to move forwards.

Jasmin stood in front of the girl for a few moments longer before just walking past her into the living room where she saw everyone else was gathered.

Yuzu was currently giving Mei her coat as she was trying to get the girl out the front door as fast as possible. Mei, however, didn't buy her girlfriend excuse of her just being tired, and so was being rather reluctant about it.

Matsuri and Harumi were in clearly in the middle of a heated discussion, that being obvious to anyone in the room.

While Nate and Ashton seemingly sat in awkward silence stuck between the two squabbling couples.

"Mei c'mon I just wanna go home. I'll explain when we get home just stop being so stubborn." Yuzu said as she gave a slightly pleading look to her girlfriend from the front door. Although reluctantly, Mei gave a lasting look to the group and just before she was about to agree with her girlfriend, Matsuri turned the music off with a sour look. Her argument obviously finished.

"Alright, the party's over. Everybody out." She said blandly, her eyes narrowed in annoyance as she watched her girlfriend pick up her jacket as well.

There were a few minutes of people faffing around before everyone was out of the apartment and getting into taxis. "Do you mind if we share a cab?" Harumi said to Yuzu as she walked out of the flat with a glum expression.

"Sure... what happened once you left?" Yuzu asked as she turned her attention to her friend while Mei took this as a sign and left to the side of the road to try and flag down a taxi.

"Nothing really, she was just getting mad because she thinks I was lying, which I was, and when she tried to make me talk about more I just told her I didn't want to stay the night and would rather just go back to my place. She got really pissy after that and kicked everyone out." Harumi said in a glum tone. It being evident that she wasn't really up for talking and would rather just get home as fast as possible.

"Yuzu," Mei called as she gestured to the cab waiting for them. Giving a short nod to Mei, Yuzu gave a quick wave goodbye to the other couples who were currently doing the same before getting into the taxi.

* * *

"So are you going to tell me now?" Mei said as she took her shoes off at the door, clearly slightly annoyed at being kept in the dark about her girlfriend's urgency. Mei had seen Yuzu being dragged off by Harumi for several minutes before Harumi came back several minutes later prompting her and her girlfriend's argument that had Mei's attention. She had only noticed the blonde coming back several minutes later due when she was rushing for them to leave.

Yuzu took a nervous breath before pressing her back against the front door as she felt Mei's eyes on her. "I kissed Jasmin," Yuzu spoke so fast it took Mei a moment to process the words. Initially thinking that Yuzu was referring to the small peck they had shared earlier on in the night, but going off the guilty look on the blonde's face it was obvious this was a kiss Mei hadn't witnessed.

Mei's face countered into one of confused anger, her voice low "... You what?" Mei asked, her fists forming in tight balls as the words of the blonde sunk in. Realising how she had said that Yuzu shook her head.

"No I mean, she kissed me! I told her no, but she kissed me again. B-but I told her I was happy with you and I didn't want to sleep with her... I'm sorry I doubted you, Mei, you were right." Yuzu defended herself in a rushed voice, then after a moments silence, once she saw Mei's features soften, spoke slowly as she apologised, never once breaking eye contact with her girlfriend.

After a few moments of silence, Mei gave Yuzu a once over. "Are you okay?" The younger girl asked as she stood in place watching the blondes every movement.

"I'm fine, Mei, I'm just... I'm sorry I doubted you and made you feel insecure. If I'd have looked more closely I would have been able to stop it soon-" Yuzu, although sincere, her words were cut off by Mei with a soft kiss to the blonde's lips, effectively shutting the blonde up.

"You don't need to apologise for anything," Mei said with a soft smile as she pulled back slightly from the blonde, her eyes gaining a glint in them as she eyed the blonde carefully.

"Now, I didn't dress like this to impress the company at the party..." Mei said as she pulled open the sides of her jacket, revealing her exposed torso covered in lace black. The action instantly perking up the blondes mood as an impish grin grew on her face at the sight before her. Quickly dropping her bag at the door, Yuzu slowly made up the space between her and Mei, her eyes drawn to the girl's torso. It was just something about lingerie that drove her crazy, it made Mei's already stunning body look irresistibly sexy, complimenting her curves and prioritising her breasts: enchanting Yuzu. There had been a growing fire in Yuzu's stomach since the moment she had seen Mei put it on, and that desire had by no means disappeared.

Her hands slipping beneath the jacket, Yuzu gently wrapped her hands around Mei's sides and brought her eyes up to meet Mei's, who had all but lost any kind of comforting look for a needy lustful gaze. As the blonde leaned in there was a gravitational pull between the pair's lips, their lips brushing against each other several times, ghosting the other's lips before the kiss ignited. Yuzu's grip tightening as if to combat the ferocity of the kiss, while Mei's hands appeared on either side of the blonde's head; one through her hair the other the side her neck. Yuzu noticed Mei's fingers were burning against her skin and was successively dominating the kiss. Yuzu had left her wanting for hours, now she was seeing the results of that.

The kiss was hot and needy, fingers clutching at whatever they could find and it wasn't long before their chests were rising rapidly. It was Mei who pulled back first a she felt Yuzu prying her jacket off to expose her milky shoulders. She let the cloth slip to the floor, and watched with a growing blush as Yuzu traced every section of her body with her eyes, she could practically feel Yuzu undressing her with her eyes, the thought alone sent shivers down her spine.

"...Fuck... you look so good Mei," Yuzu said under her breath her eyes still glued to her girlfriend's torso, clearly not finished taking in the sight before her.

"You want a show? I can't quite give you a lap dance, but I can definitely give you a show." Mei gave a low smile as she took the blonde's hand in her own and pulled her arm lightly as she tugged the girl down the hall. Yuzu, mindlessly following as her eyes stuck on the round muscle waving to her from the tight jeans Mei was wearing.

 _Wait, a show? Oh, fuck this is going to be amazing!_

Yuzu's mind finally caught up with what was going on and the words Mei had said in the kitchen as she was gently pushed down onto the desk chair, Mei leaning over her as she wrapped her lips around the small ear lobe.

"How about some music?" Mei asked as she twiddled with the phone in her fingers. If she was going to show off her body and give Yuzu a good night it only seemed appropriate to have some low music on for background noise.

She received a curt nod from the blonde who still seemed mesmerised at the current situation. Mei had said she was open to trying new things in the bedroom and given they had tried a few things, nothing extreme but just an extra bit of excitement.

This, however, was the first time Yuzu had ever received any sort of a _show_ from her girlfriend, and the way Mei was swaying her hips had Yuzu hypnotised as her girlfriend edged closer before lowering herself onto her lap. Leaning in, Mei laced her fingers around her girlfriend's neck and leant in close to the blonde ear, blowing gently on the burning hot skin.

She could hear the blonde's breath catch in her throat as the cold air brushed her ear and body pressed against the blonde. It had been a while since Mei had seen the blonde speechless in moments like this. She remembered the days when a simple kiss would leave the blonde speechless when a swift touch of her hand could make her shiver. This reaction: Yuzu not knowing where to put her hands, her uncontrolled breathing, the flushed cheeks, she was even struggling to speak. This helpless side of her girlfriend had Mei considering dressing for the blonde more often.

"I must say, you've been keeping some things from me..." Mei whispered into the blonde's ear as she took the lobe between her teeth, giving it a gentle pull before her lips moved to taper down the slender neck.

"You didn't tell me you had been with Harumi..." Mei gave a light bite before she pulled down one of the straps on the blonde's dress, nails scraping over the smooth skin as they followed the fabric.

"And I think it's about time I give you a lesson,"

Yuzu felt her heart jump at the mention of her best friend's name, she had assumed they would be having an argument about this reveal, she never imagined that she would be sat on a chair with her girlfriend dressed in lace on top of her.

"M-Mei I didn't sleep with Harum-" Yuzu's stuttering was cut off as Mei pressed her lips firmly against hers; It was heavy and full of propose, her tongue soon coaxing its way into the blonde's mouth with no resistance. Hands gripped as her hair as Yuzu's hands finally found a place on Mei's hips, yet Yuzu's newly found confidence as she fought back in the kiss was broken as Mei pulled the blonde's head back with a fistful of hair; Not enough to hurt, but enough so that Yuzu was looking up to Mei as their lips ghosted each other's again.

"The only name I want to hear leave your lips tonight is mine," Mei growled through her teeth as her head dipped back in to grasp the blonde's lips when she received another nod from the blonde.

Yuzu watched for several more minutes as Mei continued to shower her in kisses, along with completing several moves Mei would definitely describe as indecent.

It wasn't long before Yuzu had reached her limit, she felt her mouth go dry as she watched her girlfriend pulling back up from her squat as she flaunted her ass at the blonde. Just as Mei was coming up, Yuzu had finally moved from her chair and spun the younger girl around as she found her lips with lustful desperation, her hands gripping tightly to the round muscle that was just being shown off to her.

"I want you out that dress," Mei said in a low voice, pulling the blonde's lower lip with her teeth as she allowed Yuzu to massage her muscles.

Wordlessly, Yuzu turned around presenting the zipper of her dress to Mei, it's being mere seconds before uncoordinated fingers started to pry the zipper down to reveal the peachy skin below. Yuzu found her dress at her ankles in recorded time, but she was proud of the fact that she had successfully managed to unbutton Mei's jeans and tug them down just enough that when she pushed the raven-haired girl down onto the bed, the only thing hiding Mei's outfit was pried off in one swift movement.

Yuzu breath and movement was cut short as she looked at her girlfriend lying on their bed. Mei's lingerie had not disappointed Yuzu with its lower half, having tight black shorts. Yuzu thought it looked like silk but she couldn't be sure, she was too focused on taking in the sight of Mei dropped across their double bed in nothing but this phenomenal underwear.

She seemed to forget that she too was standing in nothing but her underwear and was just teasing Mei as she stood doing nothing.

A grin slowly made its way onto the blondes face as she slowly walked toward Mei on the sheets, stating at her stomach Yuzu pressed a gentle kiss there and smiled and the intake of breath Mei took. Making her way up the torso rather fast, Yuzu finally took Mei in a deep kiss as she pressed her entire form against Mei. The skin to skin contact felt to right, neither wanted it to end.

The make out was hot and as needy as the rest had been that night, Mei's hands wandered for long enough before the removed the blonde's bra with a snap, removing the material with purpose as her lips went straight to the two peaks just revealed to her. It should be noted, that Mei wanted to be in charge tonight and had not long since, flipped their positions, now straddling the older hips she had her arms pressed either side of the girls head, pressed into the mattress as Mei worked on pleasuring the blonde.

With the rustling of sheets and heavy breathing that was happening Mei was starting to feel very hot as the minutes passed. Realising the blonde, Mei sat up straight as she went to unzip her own undergarment, but was stopped as two hot hands ran down her arms, a pout on the suspect's lips.

"No, leave it on..." Yuzu gave a grin as she watched Mei hesitate for a moment longer, before lowering her arms. "It turns me on so much... let's take these off..." Sitting up, Yuzu's fingers worked to unbuckle the small clips that connected the shorts to the main body piece, though it fit so well to Mei's form Yuzu didn't see the point in the clips as the material clung to her skin like a lifeline.

Returning her earlier position of being on top, Yuzu removed the silk-like material, slowly dragging them down the long milky legs. Looking back at her girlfriend, Yuzu could see the want in the lavender eyes, she was asking Yuzu not to tease, she needed her.

And the joyful blonde was more than willing to oblige. Shuffling forwards, Yuzu gently spread the girl's legs before running her hands down her thighs and wrapping around them. With one last look to her girlfriend, Yuzu watched as Mei had her eyes scrunched shut and head back in the pillows as she waited in anticipation. Taking in the sweet smell from below her, Yuzu finally gave Mei what she wanted with long lick to the glistening lips. A needy moan escaped Mei's lips as her hand instantly went to the blonde locks between her legs.

That was the start of a long night for the two, Yuzu managed to keep Mei in her undergarment for one more round before she gave in and let Mei remove it. Though the sight underneath was just as rewarding, fueling the blonde even more. She was sure this was the best sex they had had in a long time, probably because Mei was trying to dominate her every chance she got.

There was even a point when Mei had taken on Yuzu's advice and spanked her firm ass while doing her from behind, the moan that came from the blonde as a result was more enjoyable that Mei had expected. A suitable punishment that sent butterflies to both girls stomachs, prompting Mei to do it again at the blondes request. 'Request' would be a nice way of putting it. Yuzu had her head buried in the pillows with her ass up as Mei fucked her hard, it was more of a beg that anything else, accompanied by moans and gasps.

* * *

Breathing was harsh as the two finally cooled off, the bedsheet loosely draped over them as they tried to catch their breaths. It had been several minutes since they had called it a night and snuggled up, both seemed exhausted as sweat was stuck to their bodies and breathing just under control.

Head resting on Mei's shoulder, Yuzu gave a light chuckle, tracing her fingers over the girl's stomach. "You really are good at giving punishments, maybe ill have to misbehave more often." Yuzu grinned lightly as Mei gave a light scoff.

"Or you could just be honest when we're having sex and admit you like to be dominated, you said it yourself you're a natural bottom," Mei said after a few moments, her smirk that of a winner. Yuzu laughed wholeheartedly at Mei's comment, she loved that she was the only one who saw this side of her girlfriend.

"I really love you, you know that Mei." After a few minutes of silence, Yuzu said quietly as she closed her eyes. This warm wholesome feeling she got around Mei wasn't something she could describe with words. She felt it was just impossible.

"I know," Mei smiled back as she pulled the covers over them properly, and tucked Yuzu's head under her chin as she got comfy in the blondes embrace ready to go to sleep. Tonight although there were parts Mei would have happily erased, turned out quite well. Part of her had believed it would end in an argument with one of them sleeping on the couch, but she was wrong. Yuzu had been strong and proven her wrong, now they were in a good place and for the first time in months, the thought of the brunette didn't stir any feeling in her chest. All she could focus on was the girl in her arms laying several kisses on her bare chest as they drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 **And done! Sorry it's taken this long to get the update out. Thank you all who have left supportive comments and advise they mean the world to me :)**

 **Hope you like the new chapter, I'll update when i can but as evidence from the last couple of updates, I wouldn't hold your breath ;)**

 **Let me know what yall think :)**


	51. No reply

It had been a little over an hour since Harumi arrived back at her own place. She hadn't heard a word from her girlfriend since the get-together had ended, given it had been a while since she had seen her this upset over something. Slumping on the side of the perfectly made bed, Harumi sighed as she stared at the girl's contact on her phone.

 _I'm terrible._

Just as she felt tears starting to prickle behind her eyes, a soft _ping_ came from her phone, the screen lite up with a message from the younger girl.

 _I'm sorry I kicked you out, I was just frustrated that you wouldn't talk to me. I should have said something to stop you from having to go with him, so I'm sorry_

Harumi read the text with tears now threatening to pool over. The young girl however irritating and childish she acted around others, had really matured over the last few years.

 _I'm sorry, I love you._

Another chime and Harumi could only stare at the messages. How could she be so cruel? Matsuri had never done anything to hurt her if anything she went out of her way to impress her, and yet here she was the possibility of breaking up on her mind. It wasn't fair.

The text had gone unread for several minutes before she started typing, but no message could explain her feelings and so she deleted the message before shutting off her phone. But she hadn't thought that her girlfriend had sat staring at her phone for a reply, watched the small bubble to indicate her response only to see it disappear. She had been left on _read._


	52. Back together

The young pinkette was brought out of her gaming session by a quiet knock at the door. It was well past three in the morning, she definitely wasn't expecting anyone. Putting her controller down, she cautiously walked over to the door, surprised to see a familiar face through the small hole.

There was no hesitation as she opened the door, though her words didn't join in her eagerness. "You couldn't have just texted me back?" She is in a low tone, she hadn't received a reply from her girlfriend in several hours and she hadn't expected to get one. She had said some impulsive things when Harumi has said she didn't want to stay the night, she thought the girl was within her rights not to reply, she wasn't expecting her to show up at her door several hours later.

"Are you going to let me in or not, it's raining?" Ignoring her girlfriend's question, Harumi motioned to herself; she was soaked head to toe. Matsuri had her headphones on, of course, she didn't know it was raining. Moving back into the apartment, the younger fetched a hand towel and passed it to her girlfriend as she shut the door and took her jacket off.

"Do I have any spare clothes here?" Harumi as she started taking off her wet jeans that stuck to her skin. There was a moment of silence as Matusri tried to figure out what her girlfriend's game was. Why she was here. Why she hadn't said she was coming over. And why she was no longer annoyed. But she was soaking wet and shivering.

"Yeah, why don't you go for a shower and ill get them for you?" The younger offered as she watched Harumi drape the clothing over the radiator. "I don't want a shower, can you just get me the clothes please?" Though the offer was quickly turned down as Harumi started unbuttoning her shirt as she turned to her girlfriend expectantly.

If she did go for a shower she might catch a cold, but Matsuri wasn't in the mood to argue. Leaving wordlessly, she trudged down the hall to her room and pulled out a pyjama set from her girlfriend's drawer.

"What are you doing here, I thought you didn't want to spend tonight with me?" Matsuri asked sharply as she handed the set off to her girlfriend, being noteful to look at her breasts as she did.

"I had a change of heart, you shouldn't still be up." Harumi chastised as she covered her shivering body with the warm clothes. She had spent the last several hours thinking non-stop about her girlfriend, she did love her dearly. And the more she thought about it the more she craved to see the girl.

Without any further words, Harumi made her way down the hall and crawled under the covers of the king-sized bed, slightly relieved when the younger girl followed her in and joined her.

Harumi wasn't a cuddler, she never had been. She was content with the girl lying next to her, their arms brushing under the thick quilt.

Quietly turning, Harumi placed a genre kiss to the girl's lips as she watched the younger turn to face her.

"...Sorry I left earlier," Harumi said quietly, she definitely was not one for talking about her feelings, but she knew that Matsuri was looking for something from her tonight to explain her mysterious arrival.

"It's fine, don't worry about it. Sorry, I shouted at you before you left."

There was a silence after that, one that resulted in both the girls, giving a small smile before Harumi rolled back onto her back to go to sleep. She felt the girl move closer, head just millimetres from her shoulder before she whispered a soft 'goodnight'.

"Night," Placing a kiss to the top of the girl's head, Harumi let sleep to overtake her.

She had been up for hours and could a say she was exhausted. She couldn't stay up to the early hours of the morning as the younger girl could, she had a routine and she didn't like to mess with it. And here she was, struggling to keeps her thoughts in check and going against her normal schedule.

Tomorrow was a new day and she was sure she would have to make a decision as to what she wanted to do. She didn't want to give this up, she loved the girl. This was her first love, she didn't know what she would do or what would happen to their friendship group if they split up. Their relationship was by no means on the ropes, Harumi though they were quite a compatible pair, if you took out all the pointless disagreements, she was happy with Matsuri.

She didn't want to think about it anymore, it was all too confusing. She had never thought about breaking up with Matsuri until tonight and all the mental strain was exhausting.

So letting herself drift off to sleep, Harumi smiled when she felt the girl shuffle onto her shoulder and nuzzle in before completely passing out.

 **Just a quick one today guys, hope you are all okay and liked the update :)**


	53. Only a month left

**This chapter is a little different to my normal layout, pretty sure all the short ideas I've had just got spewed up onto the page so it's not structured very well and hasn't been proofread so expect mistakes haha. It's split across the next few months, just a few stories about Yuzu trying to push herself to try and get Mei's ring as fast as possible. Hope you like it :)**

* * *

"Sorry Mei, I know you wanted to spend the morning together after last night, but I really needed to speak with Harumi." Yuzu smiled as she walked into the living room, giving Mei a soft smile as she buttoned up the last of her white shirt.

It was a little past eleven, Yuzu, after having a little bit of morning fun with Mei, had spent the past forty minutes catching up with her best friend. Harumi hadn't said much in the ways of what she was planning on doing, but that she defiantly wasn't going to break up with the younger girl and just wanted some time to think.

Apparently, Matsuri was happy not prying into her girlfriend's change of heart and continued on like normal. For Yuzu this was a large relief, she was no good at secrets, especially when it came to picking between her friends.

Mei was sitting in the living room with her laptop, she normally took to sitting at her desk while studying, but she was in no mood to be listening to one of the blonde's gossip sessions. They had gone to bed on a good note and had started this morning off on an even better one. Mei was only slightly annoyed when Yuzu had said she had to catch up with her friend, Yuzu was working for the rest of the day meaning she wouldn't see the girl at all until tonight.

Today Yuzu was working from twelve straight through until she finished her evening work. This meant Yuzu would not be coming home after lunch, on the weekends as Yuzu didn't have any classes, she was going to be working these hours for the foreseeable future.

"It's okay, I'll see you when you get back tonight, remember you have class at nine so try and not come home too late, you'll be too tired to focus properly." Mei offered as she stood to meet the blonde in the entryway as she put her flats on.

"Yeah I know, don't worry I'll make sure I'm okay for tomorrow." Giving a large grin, Yuzu pecked Mei on the cheek after zipping up her jacket. "I'll see you tonight, I love you goodbye!"

Giving a final grin, Yuzu picked up her bag to leave for work. A familiar response was given from the younger girl as she gave a short wave as she watched Yuzu skip down the staircase.

* * *

The night had been the most productive one Mei had had in weeks, there was a sense of peace she felt when studying that she hadn't felt in weeks, but today she seemed to be whizzing through her work. By evening Mei had little more work to do, and after having a small dinner, spent the rest of her night reading before settling down for bed.

She wouldn't be going to sleep until Yuzu had returned home, but rest was important and Mei planned to get as much of it as possible. She had a busy day tomorrow and couldn't afford to stay up until one in the morning as Yuzu had done on several occasions; staying late to help clean up and arrived home late just to be helpful, but it also added up to a number of extra hours that the blonde got paid for.

Though much to her disappointment, Yuzu had kept Mei waiting for several more hours before walking in through the door. It was half twelve when she returned home, Yuzu took a quick five-minute shower before crawling into bed beside Mei, who was only just managing to keep her eyes open. Truth be told as soon as Mei heard the blonde announce herself coming home her eyelids slid shut.

"Sorry I'm home late Mei, I didn't want to leave them to clean up without me. I've showered just like you asked and I'm ready for bed," Yuzu said through a muffled yawn. Mei had said on several occasions that the blonde had to shower after coming home from work, she didn't want the blonde sleeping in the bed smelling like the restaurant. The smell of curry and smoke burned into her clothes and Mei hated the smell, she appreciated the blonde taking a quick shower before she got in beside her.

Mei, however, didn't say anything. She was slightly annoyed that Yuzu was home too late, but she was more focused on getting to sleep, so turning over Mei merely nodded in response before drifting off to sleep.

Yuzu also wanted more time to speak with Mei, but she had been on her feet for twelve hours, she was past exhausted.

* * *

This had continued on for weeks, Mei had gotten used to the routine, but she was seeing less and less of the blonde. It was worrying for the Aihara, she was starting to see some of her own tendencies from when she was in high school and overloaded herself.

Yuzu was always doing something. If she didn't have a class and wasn't studying if the restaurant was open Yuzu was working. Mei had even seen her pick up a couple of hours overtime in the evenings, she was staying back every night to help clean.

Not only was she worried about Yuzu overworking herself, but she was seeing Yuzu was having less and less energy. Yuzu had missed a lecture last week, she had overslept after working until two in the morning. She had gotten a lecture the night before from Mei for how late she had come home, Mei didn't bother to ridicule the girl the next afternoon when she came back from her lesson to see the blonde still sound asleep.

Now Mei was waiting for the blonde to return home once again it was past midnight. She had a meeting with her grandfather in the morning, she didn't have the patience for the blonde tonight. She had specifically asked her not to be late because she wanted to be sleeping before midnight.

...

"Please Mei, I don't have the energy to shower, I've been up for hours." Yuzu whined as she slowly undressed, mindlessly tossing her clothes into the washing basket in their room. All she wanted to was curl up in bed, but Mei was adamant that she was either showering or sleeping on the couch.

"If you had come home earlier like I had asked you wouldn't be so tired. You promised that you would shower when you get home from work, tonight is no exception. Either shower or sleep somewhere else." Mei said in a defensive tone as she watched the blonde from the bed.

Yuzu couldn't muster the courage to argue with her girlfriend, she could see the anger in the girl's eyes even if she was trying to hide it. She was asked to stay back and help mop because the other staff wanted to get home as soon as possible. It only seemed fair for her to stay and do her part too, but she did try and get home as fast as possible.

With little more arguing, Yuzu slugged herself to the bathroom returning shortly later to find Mei sound asleep in bed. Mei would definitely still be mad in the morning.

* * *

Several weeks later.

It had been another couple of months of Yuzu's new schedule. She was working just as hard as she had been since she took the job. It had been months of hard work and there were only a couple months left until Yuzu would be bringing her ring home.

Currently, Mei was watching Yuzu from the bed as she changed into her work uniform. They were both just back from classes, Mei was still in the clothes she had worn out, she hadn't even unpacked her bag yet, but Yuzu had only half an hour until her next shift started. Mei had just brought up the topic of Yuzu working too much on their walk home, she hated seeing the blonde drained, but Yuzu's grades hadn't actually fallen, so there was little she could say.

The blonde hadn't had a day off in over two weeks. If she wasn't working the afternoon she was working in the evening and then getting up for class the next morning.

Every. Single. Day.

Mei frowned as she watched Yuzu take her shirt off. They hadn't slept together in a little over two weeks, Mei didn't mind it much: She knew that Yuzu was exhausted, but this was the first time she was getting a good look at the blonde in a while.

"Yuzu, have you been eating dinner at work like you said you've been doing?" Mei asked in a concerned tone. Yuzu had assured Mei that she didn't need to keep making her dinner as she was eating on her break at work. Mei knew she was eating breakfast and lunch as most days she had them with the blonde, but she couldn't be sure about dinner.

Mei watched closely as Yuzu gave a nervous laugh before pulling her shirt on faster. "I ehh may have forgotten the past couple of days, we've just been really busy and i wanted to try and get back as soon as possible so you weren't having to stay up." That was a small lie, it may have been more than a few days.

Mei knew she wasn't imaging things, Yuzu had dropped weight fast. She had thought she had seen a difference in the blonde's weight over the past couple of days but she hadn't seen her clear enough to bring it up in conversation.

Now she could see the weight loss clear as day. It was nothing extreme, but it was enough that it concerned Mei. Mei loved Yuzu's body, she had it committed to memory; her waist was slim and her thighs were slightly thicker than her own but that's why she loved them, gave her something to grab. The weight dropped was clearly visible on her naturally lean torso, and Mei wasn't sure she liked it, she didn't look healthy any more.

"What? Yuzu that's not healthy! You've lost weight, you're always tired and now you're skipping meals!?" Mei's concern was coming across as anger as she seemed to lose her cool at this new information.

"It's not a big deal, really..." Yuzu's voice was quiet as she tried to defend herself, but she was quickly cut off as Mei was in front of her standing strong.

"It is a big deal! You promised months ago when you started this job you wouldn't let it affect your studies and now it's affecting your health!" Mei's raised voice had Yuzu nodding nervously, she couldn't get mad, Mei was only concerned. Yuzu knew herself that she had lost a little weight, but she didn't think much of it, it was necessarily a bad thing was it? It wasn't as though she was doing it purposely, everyone got the option to eat dinner on their break or take something home at the end of their shift, Yuzu didn't want to bring anything home and she always spent her breaks messaging Mei or helping out.

"I'm sorry Mei, I promise I'll eat something today at work. I promise I won't be working for much longer and I'll start taking much better care of myself." Yuzu said with a smile as she gave Mei a soft peck on the lips.

Mei had her hands on the blonde's waist, fingers grasping at the frail form. "I get that you are trying your hardest to get this surprise, but it is nothing worth working yourself sick over... I think you should take a day off tomorrow, you haven't been yourself lately. I don't know why you need to push yourself this hard, but you have to think about school and your health... I want proof that you are eating at work every night for the next week or I'll start making you dinner again and come through to make sure you are eating it when you get home." Mei, although started off nice, left the blonde with a bit of a warning tone. Yuzu could tell by the hardness in her eyes she wasn't playing around. She obviously thought this to be a slightly more serious matter than Yuzu did.

Resting her forehead against the blonde's, Mei tried to offer a smile but she couldn't quite manage one. She would wait until Yuzu was feeling more like herself, then she would be able to offer the blonde a sincere smile. "I'm serious Yuzu, you know that you need to eat properly especially with all this extra work you are doing."

Yuzu gave a small nod, "I know, I'm sorry okay, I'll pay more attention and make sure I eat everything," Giving a big smile to try and settle Mei, Yuzu pressed her lips to Mei's a final time before she was putting her shoes on again. She would be back from work as soon as possible to be back with Mei.

...

Mei had expected the blonde to come home late evening, that's when she always arrived home, but to her surprise, she was met with a smiling blonde shortly after nine. A wide grin on her face, obviously happy that she had managed to surprise Mei by arriving home sooner than she said.

Mei had walked to the entryway to see who was coming into the house at this time, her face showing confusion at seeing the blonde but before she could question the girl, Yuzu flicked her shoes off and skipped towards her.

"It's been so long since we ate together I thought I would come home and have dinner with you. My boss said nine was the earliest he could let me leave, so here I am!" Puffing up her chest at keeping her word, Yuzu's face fell at Mei's next words.

"I ate dinner at six... but I'm glad you are home early for once," Mei tried to cheer the girl up at seeing her disappointment.

"Why don't I make you something for dinner and we can sit together?" Mei smiled when she saw the excitement return to her partners face.

"I'll guess I'll go and shower then," Giving a soft peck to Mei's cheek, Yuzu skipped down the hall to get ready for the night. Her current normal unenergetic demeanour seemed to have vanished as Mei watched her girlfriend ginning without care and jumping down the hall. Something had the girl in a good mood and Mei was sure she was going to find out what had induced this change. Whatever or whoever it was Mei thanked them, she didn't like seeing a low Yuzu.

Sitting across the table from the blonde, Mei listened with a small smile as Yuzu rambled on about her day while eating her dinner. _She certainly hasn't lost her appetite_ Mei thought as Yuzu didn't miss a crumb.

"So why are you in such a good mood, surely getting off work a couple of hours early isn't that exciting?" Mei asked as she propped her head in her hand, watching as the glint in the blonde's eyes grew at her words.

"Well, I was checking my bank and my payment plans, and because of all the overtime I've been doing the past couple of weeks, your big surprise is only going to be one more month!" Yuzu squealed in excitement as she bounced from the table, grabbing Mei's hands in her own as she pulled the girl to her feet.

"And I know you are going to be super excited for it just like I am!" In her excitement, Yuzu had swirled her girlfriend around. The past few months seemed to fly by, her and Mei were getting along great, they had hardly argued at since they had sorted things out with Jasmin and now she was finding out she would be able to get the ring for Mei several months earlier than planned. Nothing could have made the blonde happier.

"I see," Was all Mei said as she was placed back down. After all these months of Yuzu going to work, she still hadn't managed to figure out what the blonde was planning. Part of her wished she hadn't pried the news out of the blonde all those weeks ago as she wouldn't be scrutinising herself every night when Yuzu went to work about what she was planning on buying.

"Mei, what's wrong?" Yuzu's smile dropped when Mei didn't show the same enthusiasm, instead, she looked conflicted, unsure if she should speak up.

"It's just... I would rather wait longer not knowing what you are planning than you overworking yourself and becoming ill." Glancing down to the floor, Mei took a moment before she steadied her gaze to turn back towards the blonde. She was certain she would rather never find out what had been planned than watch the blonde's health suffer. That she was certain of.

"Mei c'mon, you know I love eating I was just really busy and lost focus, but I promise it won't ever happen again!" Along with her determined speech, Yuzu planted a mushy kiss to Mei's lips which resulted in a small smile appearing over the younger lips.

"Let's settle down shall we?" Mei offered as she motioned for them to go to bed. Given the blonde had come home early but it was already after ten. A good nights rest would perk the blonde right up.


	54. Glasses are Cute

**No idea what this is really just felt like writing this one. Hope everyone is doing well :)**

* * *

"What are you looking at?" Looking up from her book, Mei glanced at the blonde with the slightest of blush on her cheeks. She had felt the blonde's stare on her for several minutes now.

"WH- It'- heh... your glasses, you look really cute when you wear them," Yuzu stuttered, giving a nervous smile to Mei who's cheeks only grew darker at her girlfriend's words. Yuzu didn't know why, but Mei only wore her glasses on the odd occasion. She knew the younger girl could read without them; she did so daily, but Yuzu didn't have any reason to question that, she was happy enough to take in the Aihara's beauty from the other end of the couch.

Mei, however, didn't say anything, merely nudging the frames on the bridge of her nose before going back to her book. This had been the first weekend the blonde had taken off in months, Mei had even noticed she hadn't stayed back at work so late this past week and had arrived home early enough that Mei still had enough energy to ask the girl about her day.

Shuffling along the cushions until her shoulder was brushing against Mei's, Yuzu gave a nervous look, surprised that Mei hadn't told her to move away. "Can we take a picture?" Fluttering her eyelids, Yuu eagerly raised her phone and cautiously wrapped one of her arms around Mei's back, pulling her in so their heads bumped together. Getting a small nod of agreement from her girlfriend, Yuzu snapped several pictures before nodding approvingly as she flicked through them on her phone.

"Yuzu?" A whisper came from Mei as she sat with a blush still staining her cheeks, she got an 'Mhmm' from Yuzu who was still occupied looking at her newly acquired pictures. Closing her book, Mei turned slightly, "Kiss me." The words slipped from her lips, stopping her girlfriend's movements as it took a moment for the words to process before her head snapped around to see the blush having grown on Mei's cheeks.

Tossing her phone to the side without a thought, Yuzu traced one hand along Mei's neck, the touch making the younger shiver. Yuzu was shocked as she watched Mei tilt her head to the side, showing off her temptingly long neck, exposing the flesh to her, asking her to kiss her. And Yuzu was not one to disappoint. Her soft lips pressed against the base of the girl's neck, the motion slow but impactful as she heard the intake of breath Mei took at her action.

Slowly making her way up the girl's neck, leaving nothing more than gentle grazes of her teeth and tongue, Yuzu finally cupped Mei's cheek when she reached her jaw. Looking at Mei with her glasses on this close up had the blonde stunned for a moment. The deep amethyst pools and sharp features of her face all seemed to innocent and sweeter with this new accessory, and after a moment's more adoration, Yuzu dipped her head down to capture the soft lips awaiting her.

It didn't take long before she felt long slender fingers running through her hair as Mei tried to deepen the kiss as she leaned back onto the arm of the chair pulling the blonde on top as the embrace continued. Yuzu by no means had any complaints of where this was going, she loved pleasuring Mei it was one of her favourite pass times. She did not need to be asked twice, and Mei pulling her own shirt off was enough of a go-ahead for the blonde to have the girl's skirt and panties on the floor in a matter of minutes.

"Yuzu please," Mei moaned as she raised her hips from the couch trying to find the touch she craved. Her eyes met the blonde's and saw a knowing grin before the head dipped below her stomach, a loud groan was pried from her throat as Yuzu caved and gave a long lick to the already slick lips. She did not want to keep her lover waiting.

"God I love you, Mei," Yuzu panted in between her pants as she slowly pulled back after a few final licks and kisses, Mei's eyes still scrunched shut, her lips slightly parted as her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath.


	55. Picking up the surprise

"Is it really mine?" Yuzu asked, her mouth hanging slightly agape as she held the red velvet box in the palm of her hand, a bright diamond shining inside it.

"Mhmm, you have paid it off completely seems like that overtime really paid off. Though if you're not ready for it we can keep it here until you request it?" The woman smiled as she watched the look of amazement on the young woman face. It wasn't often she seen someone work this hard to earn a ring and it was even rarer she seen such a reaction.

"No its fine, I mean i wasn't expecting to have it paid for another couple of months but I'll take it with me." Yuzu was grinning from ear to ear, she couldn't draw her eyes away from the ring in the small box, she frequently pulled out the drawing the sketch artist had drawn up when she was alone, she thought she had every detail memorised, but the drawing couldn't compare to the way the diamond shined or the way the amethyst reflected the light. All her efforts over the last months finally sitting in her hand, and she would finally be able to propose to Mei.

After sighing of papers and a brief goodbye, Yuzu walked back to her car trying to keep her excitement in check. As soon as the car door was closed she had the box open and inspected every detail, it still felt surreal that she had something so valuable in her hand, something she had worked so hard for Something Mei had been waiting for for months.

Though her concentration was broken as her phone started ringing, the sound making her drop the small box. Quickly picking up the box and making sure she hadn't damaged it in any way Yuzu pulled her phone from her pocket to see Mei's caller ID. She had left rather abruptly.

The two were sitting down to lunch when Yuzu got an email from the jewellers telling her they had somethings they wanted to discuss and requesting she come in. Not thinking much of it Yuzu finished up and headed out, not mentioning where she was going but that she would be back soon.

"Hi Mei," Yuzu said, her smile evident in her voice, her upbeat tone put Mei at ease as she relaxed into her seat.

"Hello, where are you and are you going to be much longer?" Mei asked as she tucked her feet under the blanket she was currently wrapped up in. Yuzu felt her heart pounding at the question, she didn't want to lie but she had managed to keep her secret for this long, a few more weeks wouldn't hurt.

"Oh well I'm just sitting in the car just now, I'm in town I was just picking something up. I'm on my way home now, I'll be about ten minutes." Yuzu said with a laugh, tucking the box back into the small black back it came in before placing it on the passenger seat.

"I see, you better hurry up, the movie you wanted to watch is about to start and you've been gone for nearly two hours now," Mei said, a slightly longing in her voice as she awaited the blonde's return.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. I'll be home soon, I love you." Yuzu said in her usual chipper voice, but it was clear to anyone that Yuzu seemed to be in an extra good mood.

"Drive safe, I'll see you soon," Mei said through the phone before hanging up and awaiting the arrival of the blonde.

Mei was still snuggled beneath the blanket when the front door opened and she was met with a cheerful blonde bounding down the hall to greet her.

"I'm back!" Yuzu shouted as she bent over the couch to give Mei a kiss on the cheek, a wide smile on her lips as she pulled back to look at her girlfriend.

"I can see that, did you get what you needed?" Mei asked as she rubbed gently on the spot Yuzu had just kissed, Mei could only smile at seeing her girlfriend so happy, she was usually energetic, but this was next level excitement that Mei hadn't seen in a while. Or perhaps at all.

"Yup! And now I'm ready to spend the rest of the weekend doting on you and givin' you my full attention!" Yuzu exclaimed, her hands smooching Mei's cheeks as she pressed a kiss to her lips. Yuzu was surprised when Mei didn't push her away as smack her hands away when she released her from the kiss like she normally would at being kissed in such a way; Instead, she gave a warm smile to Yuzu and kissed her again, a gentle peck before nodding her head.

Picking up her bags, Yuzu skipped down the hall to their room throwing herself on the bed as she pulled the small box back out the bag and into her hands. Gently popping the box open, Yuzu seemed to lose her breath again at the sight of the ring. Drawing herself to sit on the side of the bed, Yuzu watched the ring as she took it out of the box for the first time to inspect the ring fully, Yuzu viewed it from every angle as she imagined the ring on Mei's finger.

"Yuzu are you alright?" Mei's voice brought the blonde out of her trance, making her jump and fall off the side of the bed. "Yuzu are you alright?!" Her voice rising slightly, Mei started making her way across the room to see her girlfriend but stopped in her tracks as Yuzu jumped to her feet with her hands behind her back.

"Yup I'm fine! Nothing to see here!" Sweating nervously, Yuzu clenched the ring tight in her fist. She just managed to kick the box out of view as she stood up and pressed her hands tight to her back. She expected Mei to press further about what she was obviously hiding, but instead, she nodded "Do you want to me to leave you alone for a bit?" Mei asked as she motioned to the door.

"Oh yeah, umm I'll just be a minute longer." Yuzu said, and sighed when she watched Mei walk out the room and close the door behind her.

"Whew that was close, I gotta find somewhere to hide you until I come up with a plan." Yuzu said to herself as she placed the ring back in the box before closing the lid. After a quick glance around the room, Yuzu's eyes lit up at seeing a small spot behind her mangas. Placing the small bo behind before carefully placing her books in front of it, making sure nothing looked out of place.

Nodding her head once more, Yuzu couldn't stop smiling as she made her way through to Mei who was perched on the back of the sofa waiting for her, her blouse slightly undone.

"M-Mei!?" Yuzu stuttered as she slowed her walk down when she saw her girlfriend watching her. Mei slowly unbuttoned the rest of her shirt exposing her stomach and breasts to Yuzu who had turned beet red.

"Well, are you going to keep me waiting any longer?" Mei said in a low tone, the smirk on her lips giving the blonde shivers. Shaking her head rapidly Yuzu came at Mei so fast she knocked the pair over onto the couch.

Pressing her lips against Mei's hard not caring for their uncomfortable position, Yuzu pulled back as she caught her breath and gave another toothy grin, "I love you, Mei!" Leaning down again Yuzu took Mei in another kiss, taking the breath from the younger girl.

This was going to be the best weekend they had had in months, Yuzu was sure of it!

* * *

 **That's all for this chapter, hope these smaller updates arent too bothersome, I'm finding it earlier to smash out smaller chapters than stressing over a big one so this'll have to do for now :)**

 **Yuzu's big moment is almost here! Let me know what you thought ;)**


	56. Chapter 56

Slowly crawling up Mei's form after leaving her last bites to her inner thighs, Yuzu gently pried Mei's arm that she was using to shield her face. "C'mon Mei, you know I love watching, you make the cutest expressions!" Yuzu chimed as she rested on her elbows, her face now hovering just below her girlfriend who was still trying to catch her breath after her second orgasm that day. When she had opened her eyes after the pure bliss settled she looked down to see the blonde watching her intently, a mesmerised look on her face.

Though, just when Yuzu thought Mei couldn't be cuter than being shy, Mei let her arm be pulled away only to cast her look to the back of the couch, a slight pout on her lips as her cheeks were painted red. Yuzu was outdoing herself, she felt entirely comfortable around the blonde, but she was slightly embarrassed.

Pecking her on the cheek, Yuzu gave a wink as she lowered her body weight onto Mei's naked form. "Besides, you always watch me when I cum, what's the difference hmm?" Nudging Mei's nose with her own, Yuzu watched as Mei rolled her eyes in defeat as her arms linked around her neck pulling her down for a soft kiss.

After stashing the ring and giving Mei what she wanted, Yuzu had planned to spend the rest of her weekend off with Mei and she still had those plans, but now she had to think of how and when she was going to propose to Mei. It was a tough decision, she had no doubt Mei would say yes and be happy no matter how she asked her, but Yuzu wanted it to be perfect. She needed it to be perfect. She had to try and figure out what would make Mei happiest.

"C'mon, get dressed you might get cold and we've got a movie to watch!" Yuzu said as she kissed Mei again before sitting upright, handing the slightly crinkled shirt to Mei along with her bra. Yuzu, was still fully dressed, she was too focused on getting Mei undone she had no concern for herself and she already felt so _full_ at the moment she didn't think anything could make her happier.

"You don't want me to?" Mei said whilst making a hand gesture down Yuzu's body with a raise of her eyebrow. This was the second time they had had sex since Yuzu took her time off and Yuzu had only pleasured Mei, given last time she did manage to get the blonde out of her clothes but this was a new one.

"NOPE! I want to cuddle you, squeeze you and make you mine!" Yuzu grinned from ear to ear as she pulled the shirt on Mei's shoulders. She was happy to give Mei sex, it was something she very much enjoyed, but she was so content right now all Yuzu really wanted to do was spend quality time with her girlfriend.

"You haven't gone off me have you, you never seem to want me to... you know," Pulling her hair out from under her shirt, Mei gave a nervous glance to Yuzu as she spoke, it seemed silly to ask and Mei did feel slightly foolish for asking, but since when did Yuzu turn down sex?! Twice! Though the incredulous look she received from the blonde seemed to settle the doubt in her chest.

"Of course not! I'm just not in the mood right now for that, I want to snuggle you and you can do me later!" Yuzu said with a wink as she watched Mei slide her underwear up her long slender legs; Yuzu licked her lips, loving the subtle taste of Mei on them. She would definitely be claiming back later.

"Hmm, very well," Mei gave a small smile back when she saw the loving look the blonde had whilst watching her. Getting fully dressed, Mei complied with her girlfriend and sat between the blonde's legs as they watched their movie, and just like Yuzu promised she hugged her for most of their time on the couch. The pair chatting quietly as they spent the afternoon together.

Her arms wrapped around the younger shoulders, Yuzu glanced down to meet her eyes as Mei tilted her head back. "You weren't hiding anything bad in the room were you?" Mei asked in a low tone, her eyes dropping slightly. She didn't want to know what it was as she knew Yuzu probably wouldn't tell her anyways, she just wanted to be sure it wouldn't be another argument. They had had their fair share this year.

She got a wide smile in return as Yuzu gave a particularly hard squeeze, planting a firm kiss to her cheek. "It's your surprise, I finally got it," Yuzu said softly, her smile widening when Mei shot up between her legs, turning around to look at Yuzu head on. There was a shine to the blondes eye and if excitement could be seen, Mei was sure there would be fireworks exploding from the blonde's ass she was grinning so much.

Her brow knitted together, Mei gave a dubious look to her girlfriend. "You're serious?" Yuzu could hear the disbelief in Mei's voice, it had been so long since Yuzu had reviewed she was working on a surprise Mei had nearly forgotten about it, or maybe even doubted it existed at all.

"Very, but don't go looking for it cuz that would be a big bummer!" Her smile continuing, Yuzu gave a light laugh as Mei fell back into her whilst giving a small nod of agreement.

"Promise," The single word left Mei's lips as she got comfortable against the blonde's chest her hands finding Yuzu's as she intertwined their fingers.


	57. Going Back

**Just a heads up, this chapter is set a few weeks ago before Yuzu has purchased the ring.**

* * *

Yuzu walked in the door and slugged her bag on the floor. She was just getting in from work, it was a little past eleven and she was exhausted. Work had been busy since she walked in the door, she hadn't been off her feet all night and now she just wanted to collapse into the couch.

Though she was soon met with the picture of a tired Mei sitting at the table across from a plate of food.

"Mei, what all this?" Yuzu asked cautiously as she slipped onto the chair opposite her girlfriend, glancing briefly down to the meal in front of her.

"You didn't have dinner tonight, so as I said last week, I stayed up until you arrived home to make sure you ate. I won't have you losing weight again, so sit down and eat, we need to get to bed." Mei said as she pushed the plate slightly towards the blonde, trying to encourage her to eat quickly so they could sleep.

A smile broke over Yuzu's face as she picked up her chopsticks and began to eat her meal. "Sorry I didn't send you any pictures tonight, I did have a small snack but it was soo busy I just forgot." Yuzu gave a nervous laugh as she continued to stuff her face. Since Mei had called her out on losing weight Yuzu had sent Mei proof of he eating dinner each night, but tonight her she was so busy she hadn't managed to.

"It's fine, I know you won't always have time to message me, I just want to be sure you are eating properly," Mei said as she sat quietly waiting for the blonde to finish. Both knew the blonde didn't mean to skip her dinner, but while Mei was aware that Yuzu was eating properly since she had called her out on it, she couldn't shake the worry.

Yuzu becoming ill due to her not paying attention or being persistent was not something she could handle, even if it meant she was a little over the top when it came to monitoring the blonde.

"It just shows you really do care!" Yuzu grinned as she winked at Mei who immediately scoffed in response. "Of course I care, I wouldn't be with you if I didn't would I?" Mei said with a raise of her brow as if she was stating the obvious.

"Yeah I know, but it's super cute when you show how much you care." Yuzu grinned as she watched Mei pout her lips and turn away.

"Thanks for dinner Mei," Placing her dish in the sink, Yuzu turned to wrap her arms around Mei who was quick to return the embrace. It was warm and gave both a sense of secure comfort that they just didn't get from anything else. Something Yuzu was prepared to look forwards to for the rest of her life; she was sure Mei felt the same, and it would only be a matter of weeks until she would finally be able to express her feelings to the younger Aihara who was clutching tightly to her shirt as she held her close.

"Let's head to bed?" Nudging Mei gently, Yuzu smiled when she got a yawn and a nod from the younger girl.

* * *

 **And the short updates continue, I'm not too sure on how I'm going to do the proposal, I'm thinking it might be cute to include the piano in some way, but I'm not too sure yet so here's a small chapter for the time being. Let me know your thoughts in the reviews ;)**


	58. Imagination Running Wild

**Hi guys thanks for waiting for this chapter, I'm looking forwards to what you think about the way I have written this chapter and I think I'll be writing the next one in a similar way until I figure out just how Yuzu will pop the big question. It has been a long wait but I hope you all enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think :)**

* * *

"When will you show me what it is?" Mei asked with a sigh as she closed her book in frustration. She wasn't even having a conversation with the blonde at the moment, she was sat at the kitchen table writing notes, Yuzu was playing her newly acquired game on the PS4. The two were sitting content in the other's company as low music played from the blonde's phone.

Mei turned in her seat to face her girlfriend who gave a short laugh as her eyes flicked to the younger before focusing on the enemy she was trying to kill.

"Mei, I already told you I don't know. I haven't decided yet, but it shouldn't be too long." Yuzu said as her thumbs flew back and forth across the controller, not bothered too much by the question as Mei had asked the same thing earlier that morning when they were eating breakfast.

It was currently Sunday afternoon, Yuzu's last day off before she returned to work on Monday. She was just working the evenings this week and had advised her work that she would be looking to cut down on her hours as she had fulfilled her reason for taking the job, but that didn't mean she wanted to quit, rather, she enjoyed working for the most part.

"I just don't understand what is keeping you from showing me. You have it in the bedroom, why not just tell me?" Flicking her pen in annoyance on the back of the wooden chair, Mei waited for her response. She really didn't know why Yuzu was keeping her in suspense, why tell her she had her surprise if she was unwilling to give it to her. It was cruel in a number of ways.

"Yeah, cuz I'm going to spend all that money on the most important thing I have ever gotten anyone, and hand it to you over the kitchen table?" Pausing her game, Yuzu turned on the couch to face Mei, her head tilting to the side as she waited for Mei to work out that she wasn't about to spill the beans of what the surprise was.

"Well, if it matters that much then maybe you should stop wasting time playing your game and go and figure it out. I won't wait forever." Mei said, the slightest hint of saltiness to her words as she narrowed her eyes on the blonde.

"Ouch, someones desperate to see their gift, especially when you said you hated surprises... But I guess you are right, I could give it some thought, but how can I be sure you won't start peeking while I'm in the bedroom planning?" Yuzu queried with a grin as her perfectly shaped eyebrow arced. Mei, however, scoffed at the accusation, she was no peeking tom.

"Please do not accuse me of such things, I would never do something like that. If you want some time alone in the bedroom all you have to do is ask, I won't bother you." Defending herself, Mei turned back to her notebook as she readied herself to start her studies again, if Yuzu wasn't going to be any help then she would continue to spend her time productively.

Pausing her game, Yuzu got from the couch to wrap her arms around Mei's small shoulders, wrapping her in a loose embrace as she brought her head down to peck the girls cheek. "I know, I was only kidding Mei, but this is my time off and I wanted to spend it with you not locked up in our room hiding from you. I can plan your surprise when you are at your class tomorrow." Yuzu smiled as she felt the shoulders relax in her grip, she was desperate to propose to Mei, but they were currently having some long-overdue couples time. This was Yuzu's first weekend off in months and she had planned to spend it with Mei, these new improvements to the engagement didn't change that.

"I promise it won't be too long before I reveal what the surprise is, but I just really want to spend the rest of my time off with you. We could even go out for dinner if you wanted to?" Yuzu offered as she released the girl's frame to sit on the edge of the table.

Mei sat in silence for a moment as she considered the offer, she couldn't remember the last time they had gone out to dinner together. Yuzu was working next to every evening they had never been given the chance since the blonde had started her job.

"That sounds nice, I would like that. Should we make reservations for six?" Mei asked as she nodded in agreement to the blonde, who's smile grew at her acceptance. "Sure! I'll pick the restaurant and call them for us." Yuzu grinned as she stood to peck Mei on the cheek again before bouncing to the living room to grab her phone from the table.

One quick call later and Yuzu picked up her controller again and began playing her game, happy with their new plans, though was much happier when Mei brought her book to sit next to her on the couch.

"You just can't stay away, can you?" Yuzu said smugly with yet another cock of her eyebrow as she offered a smirk to Mei who rolled her eyes at the comment, her cheeks darkening when the blonde sprung from the other side of the couch to plant a quick kiss to her cheek.

"Just kidding, I think I'm the one who can't stay away," Yuzu confessed as she placed her hands in her lap as she brought her gaze to meet Mei's: they were full of wonder, probably curious as to what was running through the blonde's head at the moment, but most importantly Yuzu saw the softened expression the girl wore only when they were alone.

She could tell just from a simple look of the Aihara's eyes that she loved her with all her heart, and that's all Yuzu needed to know to be sure she was making the right decision.

"I think we are both the same," Mei said as she gave a modest smile to Yuzu, gently taking her hand, "I am quite sure I would do nearly anything to be by your side." Her words were quiet, confidence clearly not what Mei was feeling as she pushed herself to speak her feelings. Though she had nothing to worry about as Yuzu broke into a grin as she pulled her into a tight hug at her girlfriend's words.

Pulling back ever so slightly, Yuzu placed a soft kiss on the girl's lips as her hand came to cradle her jaw. "You know, you never cease to amaze me, Mei. And I love you a little bit more every time you say something like that," Yuzu smiled as she pulled back from the girl who was blushing more than Yuzu felt necessary.

There was no doubt in the blonde's mind that the shining ring hidden away in their bedroom belonged on this girl's finger, and she would make sure it stayed there until her very last breath.

* * *

After a few more hours spent in the living room, both Yuzu and Mei got ready to go out. Both opted for dressing quite smart, Yuzu wore a knee-length blue dress while Mei wore a similar type of dress, only her's a pale purple. They were going out and wanted to look respectable, Mei was aware that the restaurant Yuzu had chosen was quite popular and dressing to impress was a necessary requirement to get through the doors.

Not that she was complaining, she did enjoy seeing Yuzu all neat and presentable in a dress.

It wasn't long before they were walking down the sidewalk to their reservation, both in high spirits for their long over-due date.

* * *

"This is so fancy, I didn't think it was like this last time we came," Yuzu said as she nervously scratched the back of her neck. She and Mei were dressed for the occasion none the less, both wearing classy dresses, yet Yuzu couldn't help but feel slightly out of place in the elegant restaurant.

"It has been a while since we were here, but it looks nice... Can you try and look less nervous, it's just a restaurant and you look fine so calm down." Mei said as she browsed the menu, aware of the fiddling Yuzu was doing, clearly slightly uncomfortable with the environment.

"... If you don't want to eat here we can leave and go somewhere else?" Placing the menu down on the table, Mei gave Yuzu the offer, she wanted to have a nice meal not have to sit and watch the blonde fidget all night.

"N-No, here is fine, I'm just not used to fancy places like this. Let's order before it gets too late." Yuzu gave a reassuring smile with a dismissive wave of her hand as she picked up her menu.

The place was definitely more than amazing: Imacutly placed tables; rose centrepieces; a pianist in the far corner play soft melodies; chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Yuzu was definitely out of her comfort zone, but Mei seemed to be enjoying the vibe the place was giving off. And to that, Yuzu had no objections.

Yuzu smiled quietly as they finished off their meals, they had had a splendid meal and Yuzu couldn't help watching in contentness as Mei spoke of her future in the Academy, her future with Yuzu. There was a happiness to the young girl as she spoke of the academy, she was relaxed and clearly enjoying her time out.

"Maybe I could help run the academy, I could teach a biology class or something?" Yuzu said, not serious in her offer but curious to see Mei's response all the same.

"With the direction that your studies are going, I believe that your mind would be better suited elsewhere helping people. Though the offer is appreciated." Mei retorted with a smile, she was sure that Yuzu was destined for more than being a teacher; Her passion for medicine was something Mei helped the blonde embrace, she was glad to see Yuzu aspiring for something that was both rewarding and helping people.

"Can you believe that we're almost finished our second year, I'll be starting my final year in half a year!" Yuzu squealed as she thought of her studies, it was not long before she would be finishing her studies at their current university and be moving onto study medicine.

"I feel the same, though this could prove to bring about some problems for our living situation, have you given any more thought to where you would like to study medicine?" Mei asked as she eyed the blonde, they had not had this conversation in any great detail, but she was sure they would figure something out.

"Not too much, it's still over a year away so we have plenty of time to figure it out." Yuzu smiled as she watched Mei nod in agreement. Yuzu was sure Mei would like a more descriptive answer, but she was happy to leave it there for the time being, they were having a nice dinner and Yuzu was sure Mei would being it up eventually so there was no rush.

They sat in a content silence for a moment longer, Yuzu couldn't help but smile at the look of comfort on Mei's face. She didn't look all that happy to anyone in the room, or even to Yuzu, but she could tell Mei was enjoying herself, enjoying talking about their future, enjoying her company.

"We should do this more often, I can see you are really enjoying yourself," Yuzu smiled as she watched Mei take a sip of her wine, mindful of the blonde word choice at her action.

"I am enjoying myself, but we don't need to go out for an expensive dinner to enjoy each others company. The reason I am enjoying tonight is that I am getting to spend some quality time with you that isn't either stuffed up in the apartment or a study session." Mei said as she placed her glass on the table, the change of scenery made a world of difference, and getting out of the house every once in a while did help in improving her spirits.

 _"You know Mei, we have the rest of our lives ahead of us to go out to fancy dinners and stay in the house for days on end, I plan on spending my whole life with you doing, all the things that make you smile and happy. I love you more than anything and anyone in the world, and no matter where our future takes us, I'm positive we will always be together..." The tone of the blonde's voice took Mei by surprise, there was a serious edge to her nervousness, but there wasn't a hint of doubt in her eyes as she spoke._

 _"So, I'm asking with everything that I am, if you'll marry me?"_ _A shaky breath and Yuzu stepped out of her chair and bent down on one knee, bringing the small box from her purse as she presented the ring to Mei._ _After a drawn-out breath, Yuzu raised her head as she met Mei's gaze. The moment felt perfect, she could hear the piano in the background, the shocked look on Mei's face as she watched the blonde get down on one knee, and right at that very moment she felt anxious, yet thrilled as she watched Mei from below. She just had to say yes._

"Yuzu, are you listening to me?" Mei said in a slightly raised voice as she reached her hand over to the blonde, lightly shaking her hand to bring her out of her daze.

Shaking her head, Yuzu focused back on Mei, realising she had been looking at a spot on the floor beside Mei.

"Oh year sorry, I spaced out a little, sorry Mei!" Yuzu grinned as she scratched her head. It was a silly thought, she hadn't even brought the ring with her, it was impossible for her to propose to Mei now. She was caught in the moment, her thoughts of spending the rest of her life with Mei was too much, she wanted to seal the deal, and she wanted to do it soon.

"You should really be more mindful Yuzu," Mei tutted as she drew her hand back, arranging her chopsticks neatly on the table as she waited for Yuzu to regain her senses.

"You know Mei, I think that we should finish up here and head home. Dinner has been really nice, but want to spend the night with you at home if you don't mind?" Yuzu grinned as when she saw Mei's eyes lite up at the suggestion. She wasn't the only one who wanted to snuggle up.

"Very well, let's get the bill and head back," Mei smiled as she waved down the waiter for the bill.

"I have enjoyed myself this evening, I appreciate you taking me out tonight." Mei smiled as they walked hand and hand in on the way home. She was used to dinners for the academy, but she always enjoyed it when she and Yuzu went out for a meal, it was a welcomed difference to just eating at home.

"I enjoyed myself too, I have told my work that I will reduce my hours so we will be able to go out and be together more!" Swinging their arms as they walked, much to Mei's dissatisfaction, Yuzu prepared to open the door for Mei as the neared the apartment.

The pair made their way up the stairs and Yuzu opened the door for Mei and watched as Mei made her way into the house, placing her purse down on the couch as she turned to Yuzu who was locking up the door.

"Yuzu, hurry up. I want to go to bed," Mei said, believing Yuzu was taking slightly too long to lock up and take her shoes off.

"Coming!" Yuzu shouted as she flicked her shoes off and jumped after Mei. When she got into the bedroom, she saw the dress Mei had just been wearing fall from her shoulders and pool at her ankles, revealing her slender back and legs to the blonde.

Unable to resist, Yuzu made her way to her girlfriend who still had her back turned to her, bringing her hands to Mei's shoulders, she rubbed them once before drawing her fingers down the length of the girl's back before wrapping her arms around her waist. Head resting on the top of Mei's back, Yuzu spoke quietly as she felt Mei shiver at the breath on the base of her neck.

"I know I don't say it enough Mei, but you are perfect. Your body mesmerises me every time I see you, your skin is so soft and delicate, and your hair is solo soft; like silk..." Yuzu smiled, one hand tracing Mei's stomach and hip, the other twirled a strand of the black hair between her fingers, showing just what she was talking about.

"Yuzu, wha-" Mei started to turn in the blonde's grasp, wondering just where the slightly solemn mood had come from, though she was stopped when Yuzu held her firmly in place.

"I love you, Mei," Yuzu said quietly as she placed a kiss to the back of Mei neck, squeezing her tight.

 _"I know I say it a lot, but it's only because I love you so much, I don't ever want you to forget it or think that I somehow will ever stop loving you because that will never happen. I promise that'll never happen, I'll make sure and tell you I love you every day, even the days I am mad at you, because even when you make me furious I still love you." Yuzu continued to hold Mei tight against her as she spoke, her words heavy in the silent bedroom._

 _Before Mei had time to speak, she was released from the blonde's grasp and lead to sit on the side of the bed before the blonde took a step back. Mei only narrowed her eyes in confusion; she knew all of this, and never believed Yuzu would just one day stop loving her._

 _Turning, Yuzu walked over to their bookcase, ruffling through the books before turning back to Mei who was still sitting on the edge of the matters waiting for the blonde to get to her point._

 _Walking back over to Mei with slightly shaky feet, Yuzu bent down on her knees as she placed the box on the floor and took Mei's hands in her own. She placed a quick kiss to the knuckles, making the much of Mei silence as possible to think of her next words._

 _Raising her gaze, Yuzu swallowed hard before releasing Mei's hands._

 _"I won't ever let you down, I will be there when you need me, to hold you, cheer you up when you need it and love you for the rest of my life... So that's why... Will you marry me Mei Aihara?" Her voice firm as she spoke, Yuzu held the open velvet box to Mei, unsure if the pools lining her eyes were good or not. She watched as Mei let out a trembling breath, her hand reaching out to the box for a moment before she looked back to the slightly more panicked looking Yuzu._

 _"I-"_

"Yuzu are you going to stand there all night or get changed?" Mei asked as she tried to hand the blonde her pyjamas but having to lunch as her hands hung helplessly by her sides, mind clearly on a different planet at the moment.

"Ohh, crap sorry Mei was thinking about something else again. I'll get changed now..." Yuzu said, slowly taking the shorts and top from Mei, confused as to when Mei had gotten changed, or out of her grip.

 _Crap I really need to be more careful, I might say something that tips her off before I'm ready... that could've lead to some pretty great se-_

Shaking her head again to try and remove the thought from her mind, Yuzu quickly changed into the outfit Mei had given to her and scootched under the covers beside Mei.

"Is everything alright, that's the second time you have spaced out tonight, are you sure you don't have something on your mind?" Mei asked as she turned to the blonde beside her, curious and concerned for her girlfriend's wellbeing.

"Everything is great because I have you and I'm happy and you're happy! I couldn't be better!" Yuzu smiled as she leaned in to place a kiss to Mei's lips. Happy was an understatement, but there were no words to describe the happiness she felt tonight. She was having the best thoughts of her life, she just had to plan the right one that would make Mei feel that happy too, and Yuzu had no doubt she would conquer that.

"Very well," Mei said, eyeing the blonde again before taking her book out to read before they went to bed. It was past nine, they had spent a while out, she was tired and just wanted to spend some down-time in bed with Yuzu. A simple movie and a cuddle was all Mei needed to end this seemingly perfect night.

And reading her mind, Yuzu pressed play on a rom-com that would keep her occupied as she sat up and wrapped one arm around Mei's shoulders, easing Mei into her side as they found their comfy position to enjoy the rest of their night together.

The pair were nestled snuggly together under the quilt, Yuzu had nothing to complain about as Mei sat under ear arm, head resting on her shoulder as she read. She remembered a time when she would have been blushing madly at just the proposition of sitting like this with Mei, where she would be full of nerves and on the verge of uncomfortable, but right now there was nothing that could make her more comfortable; This was her happy place.

"Could you imagine us sitting together like this a two years ago? We sure have grown and gotten a lot more comfortable with each other, don't you think?" Yuzu asked as she nudged the top of Mei's head with her nose, the smell of Mei's shampoo putting a smile on her face as she waited for her response.

"I can imagine it, but I doubt it would feel much like this... Why are you thinking about that?" Mei replied quickly, not paying too much attention to the girl's question, but when it sunk in she was quite shocked as to why Yuzu would be thinking of such things at the moment.

"Nothing bad, I was just thinking about us and how far we've come. I mean we know so much more about each other now and I feel like we are a proper couple, not just some high school fling. N-not that I ever thought you were just a fling, I always knew I wanted to be with you in the long run, but I mean that we have a life together now: We have this flat, we are at University together, we bought a car and tonight we were talking about our future, I just feel like we are settling down... And I really like the idea of that." Yuzu said, her voice showing some nervousness but it was the sweetness that caught Mei off guard.

It was a few minutes of letting the words sink in before Mei spoke, "I feel the same, I like the idea of settling down. We are starting to lay roots down, obviously, we don't plan on staying in this flat forever, we will need to buy a house at some point for our future family, but we're starting and that's what matters." Mei answer had Yuzu nearly choking, she hadn't expected Mei to respond with such a sincere answer.

"I like talking about our future family... You know you've never said what kind of family you want Mei?" Yuzu asked after getting over the nervousness in her voice, she loved these conversations but they rarely happened and she didn't think she had ever heard Mei explain in any detail what she was hoping for with there futures in regards to their family.

"What do you mean, 'what kind of family'? A happy one I would hope, children, marriage, a house, stable careers." Mei's answer almost made Yuzu laugh, after giving a squeeze to Mei's arm Yuzu continued.

"No, I mean like what and how many children you would like, or what kind of house you would like." Yuzu said with a smile as she could now see Mei's attention was no longer on her book, but thinking properly about her question.

"Well I suppose two children would be ideal, I am tempted to say girls as my experience with boys is little but I wouldn't be against it. I mean as long as our children are healthy and happy I'm sure I would be too. The house, I'm not sure, part of me wants to live in my Grandfathers home once I take over the academy, it seems a shame that such a house would go to waste after generations of Aihara's living there, but I know that is not your home and you may feel more comfortable buying a house of our own. I believe I would be fine with either, I mean finding a new home just for us does sound nice," Mei offered her response to the blonde who was looking rather taken aback at the girl response.

"...We'll be happy together no matter where we live Mei!" Yuzu gave a confident smile as she looked down to her girlfriend who was patiently waiting for Yuzu to have some input on her comment.

 _"You know, if we're talking about putting down roots there's something I have been meaning to ask you." Getting out of bed, Yuzu collected the ring from behind the stack of books, opening the small box for Mei as she came to sit back on the bed, her legs crossed as she gave an eager smile at the look of astonishment on the girl's face._

 _"I mean we have mentioned it a few times, but it's never really been official. So, will you marry me, Mei?" Yuzu gave a nervous side glance before focusing on Mei who looked slightly dowey eyed at her question, it certainly wasn't the most romantic way to propose, but it felt right. They were talking about there future and the next step in that for Yuzu was proposing to her girlfriend, so that's what she had to do._

 _"Waddya say, Mei, do you really want to start a life and a family with me?" Yuzu asked as she showed off her toothy grin, happy with the mixture of emotions Mei seemed to be processing at the moment. Opening her mouth, Mei broke out into a smile as she wrapped her arms around Yuzu's shoulders, nearly knocking her off balance she threw herself at her with that much force._

 _"Of-"_

"Yuzu!?" Mei's raised voice once again brought Yuzu out of her trance, looking down to Mei she saw a slightly annoyed expression awaiting her.

"W-what was that?" Yuzu nervously asked as she scratched the back of her head and tried to avoid Mei's gaze. She got a sigh in response and watched as Mei put her book down on the stand before switching the television off.

"Again? I'm tired of repeating myself, let's go to bed. You clearly need a good nights rest to clear your mind, let's hope you are this ditsy tomorrow." Mei said as in an exasperated tone as she lowered herself so she was ready to go to sleep. She had no issue falling asleep early, and she hoped a good nights rest would do Yuzu some good.

There was no quarrel from the blonde, she only wriggled down under the covers and wrapped an arm over Mei's waist making herself comfy.

"Good night Mei, I love you." Yuzu smiled and gave a kiss to the back of Mei's head as she closed her eyes, she too hoped her mind would be a little more focused when she woke up.

"Goodnight... I love you too," Mei responded as she pressed herself back into the blonde, a small smile on her lips as she let herself fall asleep. The idea of a small family the last thought on her mind as she lost consciousness.

* * *

 **There it is, hope you enjoyed it and can wait for the next chapter! :)**


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